The Day of Halloween
by Ikuni Hattori
Summary: Summary: Alternate Timeline-Seven years of Halloween. Seven years spent together. Harmony. Chapter 7: Detention
1. Troll

A/N: Hey everyone! As if I don't have enough projects to work on, here's another story set! This is going to be a seven-shot, one chapter for each year of Halloween at Hogwarts. If I can manage it, each chapter will be posted on every odd day for the remainder of October, the last chapter posting on Halloween. Cross your fingers, wish me luck, and if you like, leave a favorite and follow! If you could, leave a review, letting me know what you like, dislike, or generally think I did wrong in my AU universe. You are all wonderful, and I thank you for giving me some of your time. :) It means a lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Harry Potter. That belongs to our queen, J. .

Summary: Alternate Timeline-Seven years of Halloween. Seven years spent together.

* * *

Year One: Troll

"What do you mean you've never celebrated Halloween before?!" Ron exclaimed as Harry asked them about the festivities going on around them at breakfast, unsure as to why this Thursday was more special than any other. This prompted him telling the story of how he got to stay at home, locked in his cupboard, while his aunt and uncle took his cousin out trick or treating.

"The first time I had tasted Halloween candy, I stole it from Dudley after he had gone to bed. It was the only time I've never been caught."

"We are definitely going to take you trick or treating," Hermione piped up, the other first years looking interested. "I can ask some of the professors. Maybe we could do some sort of giant trick or treating event for all of the first years."

"What about a haunted house?" Lavender asked, sharing a look with Parvati, who was lost.

"The professors could give out candy to those who make it to their classroom or office," Seamus started.

"The haunted house could always get scarier the higher floor it is," Dean then piped in.

"What are you guys talking about? Haunted houses are terrifying!" Ron complained, his gaze going from one person to another.

"Muggle haunted houses aren't real, Ron," Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes as if he should know better. Ron's face started to turn red.

"Yeah, well, just remember that we're in the Wizarding World- _everything's_ real!" came his retort.

"Well, then we're just going to have to make sure you can get through at least one floor," Hermione commented with a nod. Ron grumbled under his breath.

"Did we want to all start on the first floor and make our way up? Or start at the top and work our way down?" Parvati then asked, ignoring the redhead.

"We should probably ask the professors about it first," Hermione interjected, worrying her lip. "Let me go ask Professor McGonagall." With that, she was up and headed for the staff table, where their head of house sat, reading the Daily Prophet

Harry only felt warmth inside. This time last year, he would have gone to school, been ignored by the teachers, come home, been given a large list of chores, and locked in his cupboard right after dinner. But now?

Now he had friends surrounding him, talking about putting together something that would benefit _him_. They might turn it into a school-wide thing, but the brainstorming started because of _him._ If it wasn't for Hermione-

"She's such an insufferable know-it-all," Ron groused from beside him, having taken Hermione's place. He switched her place with his own, and added more eggs, which he promptly stuffed in his mouth. Everyone else had started new conversations and ended up not hearing him.

"Professor McGonagall said not this year, since it is such short notice, but if we put a proposal together, we could manage it for next year," Hermione said tearfully from behind them. Harry whirled in his seat and guilt sprang up inside of him at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. Were it not for the dark glare aimed at Ron, Harry would have feared her ire was at him, from years of always taking the blame. Wiping the tears off her face, the brunette tried to make herself impassive. "I'm heading to class." The witch whirled on the spot, and Harry could tell she was trying hard not to run as she left the Great Hall.

"Good," Ron muttered through a mouthful of sausage.

"That was rude," Harry said to Ron.

"Well that doesn't seem to matter to her, now does it? She's a nasty muggleborn. It doesn't look like her parents raised her with any manners," the redhead replied before stuffing his face again. Disgusted, Harry got up from the table.

"You have less manners than her," Harry muttered under his breath before turning back to his plate and grabbing his toast. "I'm heading to class," he mumbled before grabbing his bag in his other hand and following Hermione out of the Great Hall.

Looking around for her, Harry didn't manage to catch up until the charms corridor, where he found her with her nose buried in a book. Approaching her, Harry opened his mouth to speak, the toast wrapped up in a napkin as a peace offering, when a hoard of their classmates turned the corner. Momentarily distracted, by the time he looked back, Hermione had already slipped into the Charms classroom.

"Harry! Why'd you run off, mate?" Ron called out, bringing up the rear.

"I just. . .wanted to get to class early," he replied lamely, but Ron didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, wicked! You smuggled some toast out of the Great Hall! Awesome!" Ron reached over, and before Harry could stop him, grabbed the toast and stuffed it in his mouth. "You're the best, mate!" Conveniently, there weren't any seats left together, and without thinking, Harry sat between Seamus and Neville. It was only after Ron sat down did he notice that he had taken the seat next to Hermione.

Everyone in class was excited. Professor Flitwick told them that they were finally able to practice a spell today, after two months of theory! They were going to start with the levitation charm. Unfortunately for him, Harry was partnered with Seamus, Mr. It-blows-up-no-matter-what-I-do. Ron was paired with Hermione, and Harry had never seen either of them look so furious. Professor Flitwick reminded them all about wrist movement and pronunciation before turning them loose on their feathers.

After having to put their feather out and requesting a new one, Harry kept one ear open for Hermione's tutelage. Sure enough, she was lecturing Ron on pronunciation, and to further prove her point, she did the spell perfectly, earning points for their house. Following what he overheard, Harry performed the spell, albeit a little shakily.

"Very good Mister Potter! Five points to Gryffindor!" came Professor Flitwick's praise. Feeling pleased with himself, he tried to catch Ron's eye to share his success, but only got a glower in return, to his confusion. At the end of class, Harry still wished to apologize to Hermione for Ron's behavior at breakfast earlier, but even with her bushy hair, he lost her in the crowd. He found Ron easily enough, and as they walked, Harry mustered up the courage to ask about Ron's look from earlier, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the redhead cut him off.

"Bloody hell! That girl is a nightmare! She think she knows everything. No wonder she doesn't have any friends, she's completely insufferable!" Ron complained loudly.

Again, Harry opened his mouth to come to the bushy haired witch's defense, but he was nudged aside as Hermione herself blew past them, Ron getting the brunt of her 'attack'. Her steps gained speed until she was almost out of sight. This time, Harry sent a stern look at Ron before rushing after her. "What'd _I_ do?" he complained grumpily before finding and catching up with Dean and Seamus.

Harry turned the corner to find Hermione gone, lost in the crowd of students headed to their next class. Thinking he might be able to catch up to her after Transfiguration, Harry turned around and headed there. It didn't even occur to him that Hermione, Gryffindor's academic pride and joy, would skip class.

Not knowing where she was for Transfiguration, Harry made sure to take legible notes to share with her. He had actually earned three house points for such note taking. After class, his whole year headed towards the Great Hall for lunch, and Harry followed after. Hermione was still missing, and so Harry started asking her dorm mates if they had seen her. Getting negatives from Parvati and Lavender, Harry could barely eat, his concern showing. Ron noticed his discomfort.

"Come off it, mate! She's probably hiding in her bed, doing what girls do. She has to be such a know-it-all, I'm sure she won't miss another class!"

Ron was wrong, and by the time they all had to head down to the Great Hall for the feast, Hermione still hadn't shown up. Worried still, Harry jumped when he was tapped on the shoulder. Turning, Parvati and Lavender were there. "We found out that Hermione's been holed up in the 1st floor bathroom all day. We tried getting her out, to at least go to our dorm," Lavender started.

"But whatever Weasley said to her made her think we were making fun of her, or that the Gryffindor tower was unsafe," Parvati finished.

Frowning, Harry replied, "I'll see what I can do." As the girls continued along with the group, Harry ducked to the side before heading where he thought the girls' bathroom. Finding it after a few minutes of searching, he knocked on the door before cracking it open.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" The quiet sobbing stopped suddenly, and there was a moment of silence, as if she was trying to compose herself.

"I-I'm fine," she finally replied. There was a moment of silence.

"Can I come in?" he asked tentatively. There was silence from her, so he hurriedly added, "I brought you notes from Transfiguration and History. My. . .my handwriting isn't the best, but I can help you decipher them, or something. We can spend Saturday studying. . ."

"You can come in," Hermione said softly. Pushing the door open, Harry entered the fabled girls' washroom. He didn't know what the big deal was about the girls' bathroom-besides lack of urinals, it looked exactly the same as the boys' bathroom.

Hermione was just coming out of the stall as he looked around, wiping her tears away as she mustered up a small smile. "You didn't have to take notes for me," she mumbled, heading over to the sink to wash her face.

"I wanted to," came his own mumbled reply. "I also wanted to thank you, and apologize, for earlier."

"For what?" She paused in her cleaning to look at him.

"I. . .I just wanted to thank you for thinking of me. You actively tried to include me and involve me. No one's ever done that before. So, thank you. For seeing and acknowledging me for me, not because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived." Hermione flushed at the praise, turning her attention back to her hands soaking under the water. As Harry continued on, she turned the tap off and dried her hands and face. "I also wanted to apologize for Ron's behavior. He was completely out of line this morning."

Upon hearing Ron's name, Hermione looked upset again. But as he continued, her expression softened. "Always, Harry. You had no control over earning that title. You are a human being. You are an individual. You deserve to be treated as such." Her expression then hardened as she leaned against the sink. "As for Ron," she started, crossing her arms as she bit her lip, thinking, "I will never forgive him until he come and apologizes to him himself, and he has to mean it, too! I will not be taken down by bullies!"

Nodding in agreement, used to defending himself from bullies himself, he opened his mouth to reply when he gagged slightly. Whirling around, he covered his nose as he backed up near Hermione. "Do you smell that?" She had no chance to reply, for the bathroom door opened up and the monster stepped in. He chanced a look at the brunette witch at his side to find her expression frozen in horror.

"It's a troll," she whimpered, hiding behind Harry. "Hide too thick for spells to penetrate, only the bravest witches and wizards try to take it on."

"Hermione, you run, I'll distract it!" Harry stated, drawing his wand and pointing it at the troll. Instead of heeding him, she latched onto his free arm.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Their talking drew the troll's attention, and Hermione screamed as they both had to duck, the troll having swept its club at them, smashing the sinks beside them.

Harry's eyes lit upon the club the troll was brandishing, and he backed up against the far wall, Hermione tucked behind him. "Do you remember the levitation charm?" he muttered to her, his eyes never leaving the creature before them. He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Let's see if the both of us can knock it out with its own club!" Clutching his hand tightly, Hermione nodded again before drawing her own wand.

"On the count of three," she agreed, silently praying for a miracle.

"1. . ."

"2. . ."

"3!" the both of them shouted before shouting the spell, just as the troll lifted its club high into the air to smash them both. When the weight of its weapon suddenly left its hand, the troll staggered forward before straightening. It looked up, confused, to find its club hovering above it, and it wasn't smart enough to move as Harry yelled, "Now!", both preteens releasing their spell so the club smashed the troll in the face, knocking it out.

The floor rumbled beneath their feet as the troll fell to the floor, and the two were left in silence, besides their ragged breathing and the broken pipes spewing water against the wall. Seconds later, the door burst open again, and Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell appeared, horror on their faces as they took in the sight of the troll. Both Harry and Hermione were shaking, Hermione's face pale in relief at seeing the teachers there.

"Mister Potter! Miss Granger! What are you doing here?!" McGonagall asked, the first to snap out of her shock, her lips whitening in her anger.

"It's my fault, Professor," Hermione said after a moment. "I've read about trolls and thought-"

"It's Ron's fault, Professor," Harry interrupted her, staring their head of house in the eye. "He had bullied Hermione at breakfast, and again after Charms this morning, and she's been crying in the bathroom since. I came to find her before the feast, and had convinced her to come to the Great Hall when the troll found us first." Professor McGonagall turned to look at Snape, who merely stayed silent and stared at Harry.

The young wizard looked to Professor Snape, beseeching the man with his eyes to believe him. Harry thought back on both times Ron had hurt Hermione, ready to tell the teachers about it. However, thinking about Ron bullying Hermione brought back all of the years of bullying by his own cousin, aunt, and uncle. After a few moments of silence, Harry opened his mouth to defend himself when Snape beat him to it.

"The boy speaks the truth, Minerva. The only one to punish should be the Weasley boy. For endangering fellow students, of course," the Slytherin head said silkily. Hermione clung to Harry's hand and he squeezed back in reassurance. Another long pause of silence, in which the two students endured painfully, before their head of house sighed, her expression looking not as severe as before.

"I will not be taking points from either of you, for you were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mister Potter, this is the one and only time you are allowed in the girl's bathroom. Make sure I never catch you in one again!" With a quick, "Yes Professor" from Harry, McGonagall was satisfied enough to turn her attentions to Hermione. "Miss Granger! Don't ever think of lying to a teacher again. Had Mister Potter not stood up for you, the both of you would be in much bigger trouble!" Since Hermione had the decency to look ashamed, McGonagall eased up her posture. "Now, come on you two. Let's get you back to Gryffindor Tower."

With a chorus of 'yes professor!' from Harry and Hermione, the three of them left Professors Snape and Quirrel to deal with the troll. Upon being deposited safely behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, the two found themselves surrounded by loud voices. Everyone was in the tower tonight, and it seemed like the feast had been brought to them.

"Harry! There you are!" Ron called out from the other side of the room and he made to go towards them, but stopped short at seeing Hermione there. So utterly exhausted by the day's events, the witch just didn't want to fight, and she tried to slink away. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, intent on facing the redhead together. Lifting his free hand up to wave at Ron just as Professor McGonagall ushered the redhead out of the Tower, Harry then led Hermione over to the table filled with food. With a gentle squeeze of the hand, the two separated long enough to grab plates and fill them. Harry took Hermione's plate while she grabbed them both goblets of pumpkin juice, and they found places on the floor next to the couches by the fireplace where they could enjoy their meal in peace. Parvati and Lavender joined them soon enough, expressing their relief at seeing Hermione feeling much better than before. The brunette could only smile at her dorm mates, unwilling to say anymore.

"So, Harry, did you still want to study with me on Saturday?" Hermione asked with a shy smile, almost afraid to look at him in case he changed his mind. Harry opened his mouth when he was interrupted, for the fifth time that day.

"Potter! Why'd you tell McGonagall I was the reason you two were in the bathroom when the troll hit?!" Ron yelled from the portrait hole. Grimacing, Harry waited for the redhead to get closer before replying.

"Because it's true, Ron. If you hadn't been mean to Hermione, she wouldn't have been in there, and I wouldn't have had to go look for her. And I'm sure you have something to say to Hermione, as well," Harry pointed out, standing to face his friend.

"I have nothing to say to her! She's ruined my weekends for the next month!"

"Then I have nothing to say to you, Ron," Harry replied, and he sat back down, just noticing that Parvati and Lavender had moved closer to Hermione, as if to protect her from Ron.

"What are you talking about, mate? We're friends, aren't we?" the redhead asked, confused.

"Not if you're going to treat my other friends like garbage," Harry replied. Glowering, Ron stalked off, and Harry turned his attention back to Hermione. "Yes, I would love to study with you on Saturday. Merlin knows my grades need it," he then joked. Hermione smiled in return.

That night was the start of a bond that would change lives for the better.

* * *

A/N2: Yes, I know it's the basic story of "let's omit Ron from the Troll scene and have Harry and Hermione bond together" trope, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for it. However, as someone who grew up being bullied, and know it's wrong, Harry wouldn't suddenly be friends with someone else who would bully another first year. I feel like it's one of the reasons he declined Draco's friendship. So if Ron truly wants to be friends with Harry, he's going to have to stop bullying those around him, trying to compensate for having five older brothers who probably did the same to him. So unless there's some growth on Ron's part, there's probably going to be little chance of him being in the golden trio.


	2. Basilisk

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for such a great turnout for the first chapter :) I want to thank all 7 people who favorited this story and the 15 people who followed this story. Also a big thanks to anotherboarduser, dancingfingers, EndlessChains, Philosophize, and texan-muggle for reviewing! :D You guys are awesome, and replies to your reviews are in your inboxes :)

Note to everyone, obviously this is AU, so some events have been moved up because if you take out one catalyst, events fall and happen differently. It's a literal case of cause and effect, so just remember not everything will follow what happens in the book. :)

So with that, I hope you enjoy.

(Also, thanks so much to texan-muggle for having my back with spelling. You're awesome. :D )

* * *

Year Two: Basilisk

The past year seemed to have flown by quickly, according to Harry, at least. His friendship with Hermione grew stronger, much to his pleasure. There were some things that bonded people together, and taking out a twelve foot mountain troll was one of them. His friendship with Ron, however, seemed to flounder every time the redhead insulted Hermione, or bullied her. Ron just didn't seem to understand that a condition of being Harry's friend was being a decent human being, and so far, the redhead wasn't living up to the task.

It was unfortunate, because Ron was fighting so hard to be his friend.

Despite having faced Voldemort at the end of the year last year, Hermione stuck by his side, and refused to let him face everything alone. She had, at first, argued vehemently with him, trying to persuade him not to go. They had already ruled out Professor Snape being the perpetrator, having researched and thought logically about it, no doubt making Rowena Ravenclaw proud. However, they couldn't figure out who exactly was going after the stone. When Harry had to leave Hermione in the Potions room, it killed him to do so, his confidence wavering without her by his side.

In the end, he had defeated Voldemort, but wasn't able to vanquish him forever. Waking up in the hospital wing to find a sleeping Hermione at his side calmed him instantly. But when he finally met with the Headmaster, only more questions were brought up, instead of answered.

Now, was a second year of challenges, a second year of trying to stay on top of his grades-with help from Hermione of course-as well as try to stay alive. The third week of September, a monster had started attacking students, petrifying them and, thankfully, not killing them. But with two attacks already, the school was on edge. Students were being escorted to-and-from class, and the castle was essentially on lockdown.

Unfortunately, the haunted house and trick-or-treating plan that Hermione had been working on over the summer, when she wasn't writing to him of course, had been cancelled, for fear of the students' safety. When she had come to him upset, yes, he had been disappointed, but went over her plans with her to refine them for next year, to help get her mind off of it. There was little nowadays to get his mind off of the danger surrounding them. He knew now why Dobby the House-Elf had come to him in the attempt to prevent him from going to Hogwarts. If it hadn't been for Hermione being with him at the platform (they had agreed to meet up with each other an hour beforehand), he would never had made the train. The barrier seemed to close whenever he tried to get through, but family after family were able to get in no problem. It was only Hermione's ingenious thinking of going in first, and with her body half in the Muggle world and half on Platform 9 ¾, she was able to pull him through. Her parents had already been on the other side and were waiting for them.

Neville had joined their duo, turning them into a trio, and on some days, they were joined by Parvati and Lavender, who became infinitely more protective over Hermione after Ron hexed her in the common room a few days after Christmas break, attacking her with a spell that made her front teeth grow so large, she had to go to Madam Pomfrey to get them fixed. Ron then had the audacity to talk friendly to Harry after that, and when Harry tried to ignore him and talk to someone else, the redhead then laid into Neville.

Harry was done, and as best he could yelled at Ron that he would never be his friend so long as all of his friends kept getting insulted. Blissfully, Ron left them alone after that.

It was one less thing to worry about when Halloween finally came around, and when Harry awoke, he was reminded about not only the beast roaming the castle, but also reminded of what the anniversary of today was. Getting out of bed, he got ready for the day, well before any of the other boys in his dorm even woke up. Heading down to the common room to get some studying in (Hermione had rubbed off on him too much), he made sure to bring his books with him. They had a Potions test right after breakfast, and it was on any of the five potions they've learned so far this term. As he skirted around the couch, he found Hermione already at the low table between the two couches before the fireplace, asleep with her head resting on her books. He set his materials down on the low table next to her things before crouching beside her. One of the communal afghans was wrapped around her, and Harry found the sight adorable. Reaching out to gently shake her awake, a stray thought made a frown appear. She must have been researching through the night on what the creature in the Chamber could be. She had lost her faith in their Defense teacher after the Cornish Pixie incident and didn't trust Lockhart to do his duty to keep the school safe.

"Hermione, Hermione!" The girl jerked awake, page marks from her book lining her cheek. "Good morning, sunshine!" he greeted with a grin.

"Oh no! What time is it?" she exclaimed worriedly, shuffling her papers together frantically.

"Calm down. It's about an hour before breakfast. I was planning to study for Potions. Want to join me?" Hermione paused and stared at Harry for a moment before visibly deflating.

"Let me get cleaned up and I'll join you." Packing up her things, Hermione headed up the stairs to her dorm to freshen up and pack her bag for the day.

Harry had already looked over the first two potions they had covered in class, his 1000 Herbs and Fungi open next to him as he made notes in his book by the time Hermione settled in across from him, ready to quiz each other on the five potions they needed to study.

* * *

Breakfast came quickly enough, and the two packed up and headed to the Great Hall just as the early rising Seventh years started filtering down the stairs. With a thankfully uneventful breakfast, they were joined by a yawning Neville soon after. Neville himself, by spending more time with Harry and Hermione, has grown a little more confident. With this confidence booster, he has been doing better in class. His magic was shaky at best, but at least a lot of his doubt had disappeared.

"I don't want to go to Potions today. I am not ready for this test," the boy moaned as they wandered down to the dungeons, escorted by a pair of Seventh year Gryffindors.

"Just think of the Double Herbology after lunch," Harry reminded with a grin. Neville matched the grin as Hermione spent this time with her nose buried in a book. Harry even had to lead her down one of the staircases with a trick step because she was so absorbed in her reading.

They were only waiting a few minutes in the Potions corridor before the classroom door opened. Settling in and looking at the board, the trio braced themselves for their test.

Leaving an hour and a half later for their next class, the three left with hopefully passing marks, Hermione most likely getting an E or higher. Surprisingly enough, after the troll incident last year, Professor Snape was less hostile to Harry than before. He still took loads of points off of anyone who wasn't a Slytherin, but he left Harry alone and didn't call him out a lot. Not being harassed by a teacher was refreshing and let his academic life flourish.

At lunchtime, everything was going fine. He and Hermione would be studying the next set of Potions for class before heading down to Sir Nick's Deathday Party before sneaking into the Halloween feast. Harry wasn't even sure why he was invited, since he barely talked to the ghost, but Hermione had suggested it might have just been his name. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. This left a sour taste in Harry's mouth, which he tried to drink away with pumpkin juice.

A open book slammed on the table in front of him, and Harry looked at the picture of a basilisk before looking up at Hermione.

"This is why I can hear it, isn't it?" he asked her quietly, Hermione nodding back.

"This is why i told you not to showcase your Parseltongue," she whispered back as she sat down next to him, straddling the bench. "The whole school would believe you're the Heir otherwise."

"If it wasn't for you, the whole school would have thought that, after the duel. I'm so glad Professor Snape was there. Between you shouting at me and Professor Snape banishing the snake, you both saved my arse." With Hermione's interjection of 'Harry, language!', he continued. "After having to deal with Lockhart, I'd trust Professor Snape with my life," Harry commented, sending a glare up at their current Defense teacher. First Quidditch match of the year and Harry's the only one sent to the Infirmary, all thanks to Lockhart. It seemed like everywhere that man went, disaster followed.

Reading more of the passage, Harry frowned. "Do we assume that thing has been there since the last time the Chamber has been open?"

"We can only assume so. Living for that long, the beast must be huge. How would it move around without anyone knowing or seeing it?" came Hermione's reply. They both thought hard as they went to tuck into their meal, and just before dessert came out, Hermione choked on her pot pie. Turning to face Harry so quickly her hair fanned out behind her, she stared at him unblinkingly. "Pipes!" Understanding immediately dawned on him.

"That's why the last person who died, died in a bathroom," he said. Nodding in agreement, the two finished up and waited for Neville. The trek to the front door of the castle was short, so they didn't need an escort to any of their outdoor classes, so the three second years were able to head down to the greenhouses at their leisure. Bringing Neville into the loop of what they know, he brought forth a good question.

"Why did the basilisk only petrify instead of kill?"

"Perhaps it's like Medusa, where her gaze petrified anyone who looked into her eyes. The only way she could be defeated was by being turned to stone by looking into her reflection," Hermione theorized, thinking hard on any other myths of petrification.

"So the water on the floor-" Neville started.

"And Colin looking through his camera-" Harry continued.

"Exactly," Hermione replied. "I'll send home and see if Mum and Dad can get me two hand mirrors. Start checking corners if you're ever alone or if you start hearing the voice again, Harry."

"What about you?" Harry asked, noting she only spoke of him and Neville.

"I have a makeup compact from Lavender from last Christmas somewhere in my trunk still. I can use the mirror in that. Just. . .be safe, guys. Don't go looking for trouble."

* * *

After class, in which they had another lesson on Mandrakes, the trio headed back to the castle. After a quick trip to Gryffindor tower to stow their bags, they headed down to the Great Hall with the rest of their house. Lamentably, however, as the group followed the lit candles to get to the feast, Harry, Hermione, and Neville followed the chilling blue flame lit candles down to the dungeon. Reluctantly, Harry looked after his peers who headed towards the warm Great Hall, with jack o'lanterns big enough for three men to sit in them comfortably, live bats swooping through the air, and something that suspiciously sounded like music.

The candles cast a dim light over everything, making the corridors seem smaller than usually in the scant light. The temperature dropped with every step that they took, moreso than usual for the dungeons, and as they drew closer to the empty classroom Nick had directed them to, the sound of nails against a chalkboard filled their ears. Harry could already see the grimaces on Hermione and Neville's faces, and knew one adorned his own.

"Music. Why can't the dead appreciate music made by the living?" Neville moaned as he drew his robe closer to him, trying to stay warm. Hermione's hand found Harry's as she looked around them, ghosts beginning to swoop past them, also on their way to the party. Turning the corner, they found Nearly Headless Nick standing just next to a doorway draped in black velvet curtains.

"My dear friends," Nick said mournfully. "Welcome, so pleased you could come." Thinking back to Hermione's words, Harry snorted. Were they really friends or were they just there because of a name he didn't want? Turning his attention back to the ghost, Harry followed his friends into the room as they got bowed inside.

It truly was an amazing sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of ghosts, so much that it was terribly difficult to navigate without accidentally walking through someone. A lot of the ghost-guests were dancing to what amounted to music, shackles hanging on the walls clanging noisily like a drumset. There were candles in the air as well as bats like in the Great Hall, but none of the warmth accompanied it. The trio's breath misted before them, as they stood shivering in place, looking around. A buffet table was off to one side, but as they drew closer, they changed their minds. Everything smelled, and looked to be rotting. They looked to be the only living people here, and so there wasn't much for them to do besides just stand around and endure as long as possible.

There was an encounter with Peeves and Moaning Myrtle, the former setting off the latter. Myrtle flew away, bawling and screeching, while Peeves chased after her, cackling. Nick came up to them and asked the trio if they were having a good time, but Harry was saved from answering when a trumpeted fanfare sounded from somewhere beyond the far wall. Everyone turned and witnessed several ghosts on translucent horses burst through the wall, the leader the one with the trumpet as he held his head under his arm. With Nick's following moan, they learned this was the Headless Hunt.

Now was as good a time as any.

"Let's get out of here," Harry suggested to the other two and they both nodded enthusiastically. Skirting the ghosts that were now surrounding Nick as the leader of the Headless Hunt approached him, Harry, Hermione, and Neville headed for the door.

"Next time, please say no, Harry," Neville commented as they burst through the room, nearly at a run in the attempt to get away.

"I have to agree, Harry. We are just not meant to go to those things," Hermione added.

"I couldn't agree more," came Professor Snape's voice from next to them. All three jumped back, their hearts beating fast as they turned to look at their Potions Professor. "What do you three think you are doing here?"

"Sir, I was invited to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party," Harry started.

"We came with him because it's much too dangerous for him to go alone," Hermione interjected, and the glower on Snape's face only grew worse.

"None of you should be here! There is a reason why we wanted everyone in the Great Hall for the feast. Three second years, if the ran into trouble, would be no match for the creature roaming the castle if you ran into it. Five points from Gryffindor, each!" Snape said, before turning to head back towards the Great Hall. Without complaining, the three Gryffindors followed their Potions Professor towards the warmth of the feast.

"Sir?" Hermione asked hesitantly as they headed up the stairs, a frown gracing her features as she noticed Harry stop and look down a side corridor.

"What is it, Miss Granger?" he asked, stopping as well when he noticed Harry as well. "Mister Poster, get over here!"

Harry turned to look at the three and said simply, "I hear it again!" before taking down the side corridor.

"Harry!" Hermione and Neville exclaimed out in unison before taking after him. Scowling, Snape followed afterwards, all three catching up with Harry easily. Harry had stopped, staring confused at the corner, before horror seized him. Whirling around, he tried to push them all back down from where they came.

"Get back! That thing is down there!" he whispered to them in a whisper.

"Mister Potter, what are you talking about?" Professor Snape asked him, and the three Gryffindors share a glance before looking at their professor.

"Sir, I can talk to snakes. Hermione calls it Parseltongue," Harry started.

"We believe the creature is a basilisk, and only its reflection has been seen, instead of a full gaze. That's why everyone is petrified, not killed," Hermione continued.

"It might be using pipes to get around. That's why no one can really see it coming before it strikes," Neville finished.

Professor Snape was silent, the color gone from his face as they explained themselves. "We have to get out of here," he said resolutely, narrowing his eyes and looking down the corridors. "We must be careful, if that thing is loose. We have to get back to the Great Hall and warn everyone." Looking to Harry and debating something, Snape lifted his wand and produced a silvery projection of a doe. Speaking to it quietly, he sent it off and it raced off to the Great Hall. "We must be cautious-"

"Sir, I have a mirror we can use to look around the corners to see if the coast is clear," Hermione offered, and Snape nodded.

"Good. And Potter? Listen for the beast. If it sounds like it's getting closer, let us know and we'll run. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, straining his hearing to listen for the beast.

"Let's go."

Taking it slow, the four of them navigated the corridors, having to turn back and change direction several times. It almost felt like the basilisk was herding them in a specific direction. They were eventually trapped. The corridor they needed was two corners away, but Harry heard the basilisk near them everywhere they turned. As Snape pressed them against the wall to get them all to catch their breath, Harry felt Hermione lean to get closer to the corner, her hand pulling on his. He shifted to give her more room to lean more.

"Professor, the hallway looks clear. If we run we can-" Hermione felt silence, her hand turning cold in his hand, and Harry turned to look at his friend. With horror, he looked at the stone statue that was his friend, wrenching his hand free from her stony grasp.

"HERMIONE!" Harry screamed as he whipped himself around to grab at her, the mirror falling out of her hand, clanging and breaking on the stone floor, the sound echoing through the hallway. An arm suddenly wound around his middle and he was pulled away, Harry struggling to get to Hermione. He continued to call her name frantically. With a flick of Professor Snape's wand, the petrified Hermione was lifted up and floated in front of them, and they took off, Neville keeping pace with Professor Snape who had both Harry and Hermione.

Turning another corner, they suddenly ran into Professor Dumbledore and several of the teachers. Quickly relaying what happened to them, Snape handed all three children off to Professor McGonagall, who, with her wand out, led them to the Hospital Wing. The rest of the Professors there went to go hunt the beast down.

All Harry could think of as he sat next to Hermione's bed in the Hospital Wing was that had they just gone to the feast she would have been fine. They wouldn't have been down in the dungeons at all, and no one would have gotten hurt.

This was all his fault.

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Thanks so much for reading! If you like what you saw, don't forget to leave a follow, a favorite, and maybe even a review. :) You are all are awesome, and thank you for supporting my writing addiction with feedback. ^.^


	3. Murderer

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this is being posted so late in the day. Firen's (My bf) bday was yesterday, so I spent most of my time with him instead of writing XD

I want to thank all 14 people who faved and the 30 people who followed the story. :) Also, thank you to "Guest", texan-muggle, EndlessChains, anotherboarduser, pianomouse, and Deathday Party Planner for leaving reviews. Your replies should be in your inbox :) You guys are all amazing, and make writing worthwhile.

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Year Three: Murderer

When Harry woke up on Halloween, he heart felt heavy. The past two Halloweens at Hogwarts hadn't exactly been the best of experiences for him. First year was the troll attacking him and Hermione, and then last year had Hermione being petrified by the basilisk they had been fleeing. Harry had been absolutely miserable at that. He knew it was all his fault. If she and Neville hadn't been with him, and instead were at the feast, they never would have had to run for their lives. Never would have been put into peril.

Every day. Every day Harry would visit Hermione in the Hospital Wing, speaking to her as if she could hear him. He told her everything they did in their classes, and brought all of her homework to her, as if she could do it. In retrospect, by explaining their lessons to her, he learned the material better, finding he was okay with teaching her. It made him feel useful. He couldn't do anything else otherwise.

Thankfully, by Christmas, they had caught the one commanding the snake. It seemed that Ginny Weasley has slipped up and spoke to Ron of a diary that wrote back. He had taken it from her, before writing in it himself. From there, it all was a downward spiral. Because the voice in the _journal_ , as Ron called it, sympathized with his jealousy and self-entitlement, fueling the boy's emotions to the point where the redhead had loudly boasted his satisfaction in 'putting Granger away.' It was appalling that a member of Gryffindor house was so cruel to a member of their own house, something that not even Draco Malfoy, self-declared muggle-born hater, would even do. Despite Dumbledore's insistence that Ron was merely boasting and not meaning it, but after the redhead had produced the Diary to prove that he was telling the truth, in the middle of the Great Hall no less, everyone involved was rushed out and up to Dumbledore's office. Blissfully, for once, Harry wasn't involved. Professor Snape, who came to the Hospital Wing to give the matron an update of the Mandrake Restorative Draught. They were trying to speed the process up as quickly as possible, but there was nothing they could really do until the Mandrakes matured. While Harry had been by Hermione's bed, he heard Madam Pomfrey comment on why they couldn't import some of the matured Mandrakes from South America, but Snape had merely replied back with "The Headmaster is stubborn and is set in his ways." The Potions Master then turned his attention to Harry and filled him in on what had gone on, conveniently leaving out the part where Ron had insulted Hermione, instead just saying everything else the redhead had said and done. Harry had found out about this from Parvati and Lavender when they stopped by after dinner, bringing their daily bits of gossip to share with the petrified Hermione. Like Harry, this was the only thing they could really do to help their friend, their relationship having gotten close through their correspondence through the summer. It seemed with Harry's help, Hermione was making friends outside of their normal trio.

After that, the DMLE had come in, taken care of the basilisk, and left. Of course parents angrily came and took their children home in the time between Ron's proclamation and the monster being destroyed. Classes had been halted with so many students gone, so if it weren't for Madam Pomfrey and the House-elves of Hogwarts, Harry wouldn't have been surprised if he would have ended up passing out from not eating. But thankfully, the Draught was made sooner rather than later, Professor Snape calling in a few favors to get some in-season Mandrakes to cure the students that were his responsibility.

It seemed like Professor Dumbledore was none the wiser.

So it was an ecstatic Harry and Neville to be by Hermione's bedside when she woke up months earlier than the previous prediction of May.

During the summer, Harry was able to convince the Dursleys to let him visit Hermione for a week, her parents okay with the arrangement. It had only taken a phone call from her and her parents to convince them. Uncle Vernon, of course, managed to wrangle the week instead of the weekend out of the Grangers, and with glee, he had booked a vacation for his own family the same time Harry would be away. While she hadn't told Dr. and Dr. Granger everything, she had told them enough to make them amiable and warm towards him when he was dropped on their doorstep by the sneering Durselys. He had gotten a 'talk' by Hermione's father, but all of it was good natured, and the next morning, when her mother woke up to find Harry already up and cooking breakfast for them, due to habit, he got sent back to bed. It was a nice change of pace for once, having a set of parents look after him like that. The best surprise for him, of course, was the invitation to Neville's house for the week of their birthdays-for they were separated by one day-and surprisingly enough, an invitation for both him and Hermione to the shared birthday party of him and Neville.

As far as he could remember, never had anyone celebrated his birthday before, much less hold a party for him. He only had a week of being back at the Dursleys before he would have to leave for Neville's, and since the Dursleys were out of town at the moment, Harry didn't sweat it. To get rid of him, he was sure the Dursleys would do anything.

When they had gone to Neville's, they met his grandmother, a stern looking woman who was the epitome of everything Petunia Dursley held dear. Madam Longbottom wasn't as stern as she looked, and was very warm and welcoming to both Hermione and Harry when they arrived. With the party set for August 1st, this gave everyone time to hang out for the week beforehand, as well as heading to Diagon Alley, getting their school supplies on July 31st, giving everyone time to celebrate Harry and Neville's birthdays privately before the party the next day. Hermione ended up buying herself a cat named Crookshanks, and even humored the boys as they pined over the new Firebolt.

The party itself went without a hitch, and it seemed like all of Wizarding Britain was there. There were people introducing themselves to him that he never knew, and everyone seemed to bring a gift for both Harry and Neville. Never, in all of his memory, had anyone ever paid this much attention to him. Hermione's words from last term kept ringing in his mind, saying they were only here because of his title, but he found some people were there for him and Neville as people, not their legacies, such as Amelia Bones and her niece Susan, Hannah Abbott and her mother, Lavender Brown, Parvati and Padma Patil, and even Amos Diggory and his son, Cedric.

It was the best birthday Harry's ever had.

Now, in his third year of Hogwarts, they had a new Defense teacher-one who could actually teach-new things to learn about, and a new threat that people insisted on keeping him in the dark about.

Sirius Black.

All Harry had been told was that Sirius Black was a madman, dangerous, and that he had broken out of the most secure prison in Britain to come and kill him. But no one would tell him _why_.

Eventually, Halloween rolled around, and with it, the first day of Hogsmead. Unfortunately, the Dursleys refused to sign his permission slip, so Harry was probably going to be the only third year unable to attend.

Morning of, Harry sat in the Common Room with Hermione and Neville, talking about the upcoming trip. Neville spoke of the shops there, having been there already with his Gran, and even though he couldn't go, Harry started to make a list of things he wanted them to buy for him from the shops.

"Harry, no," Hermione tried to complain. "It's not fair that you're not able to go just because the Dursleys are against all things magical. Perhaps if you ask Professor McGonagall? Or even Professor Dumbledore! He's your magical guardian, I'd assume, since you were raised by muggles, of course."

"I already asked her already," Harry replied glumly. "But it's understandable. There's a killer on the loose and apparently he's been gunning for me since before start of term. I've had two terrible Halloweens so far. I don't want to add another one to the mix."

"Then at least let me stay with you. I don't want you being alone today," she replied, looking at him sternly. Harry instantly shook his head.

"It's the first day of Hogsmead. Don't miss it because of me. What I want you to do, is to go and have a good time with Neville, and then come back and tell me all about it. Okay?" he asked. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

"Alright. But don't expect mercy when I start talking your ear off," the brunette teased, getting laughs from the two boys.

Their mirth was disrupted when Ron descended from the boys' staircase, huddling something to his chest. After the events last year, both him, and Ginny after Ron admitted where he had gotten the journal from, had to go to a mind healer, to see if there were any long lasting effects from being under the influence of a Dark Object. Ron's behavior had improved upon the start of the year, from all of the counseling, however every time Crookshanks saw Scabbers, Ron's pet rat with the missing toe, raising Ron's ire and anger at Hermione. Like the usual, immediately as Scabbers stuck his nose out from between Ron's hands, Crookshanks leapt up from his spot on the top of the bookcase and jumped onto redhead, digging his claws into what the trio knew was Scabbers. With a shout, Ron threw the cat off of him and clung to his rat, rounding on Hermione, who visibly deflated under his rage. Harry immediately stood up to put himself in between them, faintly noticing Hermione going to fetch Crookshanks and holding onto him.

"Keep that bloody cat away from Scabbers!" he exclaimed heatedly, his eyes narrowed on Hermione, who refused to meet his gaze. Neville stood up and joined Harry in blocking Ron's sight of her.

"Then keep your rat in your dorm room. Put him in his cage if you can. Crookshanks can't get him there," Neville replied, and with a huff, Ron stormed off. It seemed like an easy victory, but lately Ron had been giving up more, as if he was picking his battles instead of being stubborn enough to keep fighting. They could only hope this would lead to positive development for him, instead of backfiring.

Right after lunch, Harry escorted Neville and Hermione to the gate leading to the path to Hogsmead, still intent on Hermione going and having a good time without him. After all, this would be a good chance to cheer Hermione up.

"Remember my list?" Harry asked. Neville held up the piece of paper Harry had given him.

"I may be forgetful, but Hermione will have my back," he replied with a laugh, eliciting a chuckle from the other two.

"We'll be back in three hours," Hermione promised, taking Harry's hand and squeezing. With a smile, he ushered them forward, Professor Flitwick speedily going through the list of students allowed into Hogsmead. Neville and Hermione turned to leave, but she suddenly turned back to face Harry and placed a kiss on his cheek. With her cheeks pink, she hurried off to join the other students in line. With a grin, Neville followed after her, leaving Harry stunned in his place. Before she and Neville went through the gate, they both looked back and waved, Harry waving back, a grin on his face. The grin, however faded, before he turned back to head back up to the castle. Maybe he could study for Transfiguration. They had learned a new spell that week that he's been having trouble with. Perhaps some extra study could-

"What do we have here Gred?"

"Looks like a dejected third year, Forge."

"What do you think we should do about it?"

"What do you two want?" Harry managed to ask before the Weasley twins picked him up between them and frog-marched him a couple of yards away and pulled him behind a few trees.

"It's not right to see you have fun with your friends on one of the only weekends of the year that allows us older kids leave from the grounds," Fred, Harry assumed, said.

"So, we asked ourselves, what would any sort of people would we be if we didn't do something about it?" George added.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at them. The twins shared a look, making a shiver run down Harry's spine, and he didn't like it one bit.

"This." Fred flourished a folded up piece of parchment under Harry's nose, and the boy gave them a look.

"I know, I know, crazy, we know. But it's magic," George whispered conspiratorially. Pulling out his wand, he pressed it to the parchment and declared, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

* * *

After having gone back to the castle and grabbing his invisibility cloak, along with telling people he was going to go to the library to work on homework, Harry made his way to Hogsmead through one of the passages the map told him about. He startled both Neville and Hermione in Honeydukes, and the three of them made their way through Hogsmead. They were all having fun until they ran into a few professors. Harry, thinking he was being clever, followed them and found out not only that Sirius Black had betrayed Harry's parents, but that he was his Godfather as well.

Upset, Hermione had to calm him down as they sat on the grassy hill near the Shrieking Shack. It was getting close to the end of the three hours Hermione and Neville had promised, and ended up coercing Harry to head back through his secret path and to meet them in the Library so they could talk about it. Hurrying through, Harry stuffed his cloak into his back and settled down with books around him in time for Hermione and Neville to find him.

It was only after dinnertime did Harry show them the map, and as they were perusing it, Neville frowned, seeing two names on the map that shouldn't be there.

"Uh, guys? Sirius Black is in the castle. . .and isn't Peter Pettrigrew supposed to be dead? He's. . .he's in the Gryffindor Tower right now," Neville commented, his face paling in this revelation.

"We have to tell Professor McGonagall," Hermione insisted, jumping to her feet. "You said the map is never wrong."

"Maybe it is. But, we should tell them, just in case," Harry replied before gathering up the map, wiping it clear, before rushing out of the tower with Hermione and Neville at his side. They were unable to find Professor McGonagall, until they thought to use the map, and found that both Sirius Black and Peter Pettrigrew had disappeared. Heading back to Gryffindor Tower, they found a crowd of Gryffindors surrounding the portrait of the Fat Lady. Only, the Fat Lady wasn't there, merely a slashed canvas. Deciding to keep the map to themselves, they counted their lucky stars they had missed Sirius Back when they had left the tower. It could have only been by lucky chance that they had missed each other. Percy, the Head Boy, pushed his way to the front, only to stop short before issuing a demand for someone to find Professor Dumbledore. Harry, Hermione, and Neville shrank back into the crowd, making sure not to get drawn into anything. After Professor Dumbledore arrived, everything happened in a whirlwind. The Gryffindors were sent to the Great Hall soon after joined by the Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and Hufflepuffs. All of the third year Gryffindors, minus Ron, plus Padma Patil dragged their sleeping bags over to one corner and talked amongst themselves, when they were all supposed to be sleeping. Having a little powwow of their own, Harry, Neville, and Hermione debated over the map and help them catch Sirius Black.

"But if people say that Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew, and he's showing up on the map as alive, then what else has the Ministry lied about?"

* * *

A/N: And so, the plot thickens! Muahahaha!

I actually wasn't sure where to end this one, so this is what you all get. I hope you enjoyed, and sorry for it being so late in the day in being posted. You guys are all awesome. Make sure to leave a fave, follow, and/or a review if you enjoyed! :D Until next time :)


	4. Tournament

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the great turnout for the third chapter! You all are simply awesome :D

I wanted to thank all 22 people who favorited this story and the 39 people who followed it. I also wanted to thank pianomouse, anotherboarduser, EndlessChains, texan-muggle, and dancingfingers for reviewing! You five are amazing, and your replies are waiting in your inbox. :D

Also, a huuuuuuuge thank you and shout out to texan-muggle, who has basically been my beta reader for this entire story. Dude, you're awesome :D

Now, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

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Year Four: Tournament

Harry just couldn't catch a break. His third year had concluded with his Godfather's name being cleared due to Peter Pettigrew being spotted in the castle again, after Sirius had ripped the Fat Lady's canvas apart. Sirius Black had been wholly innocent of the crimes placed against him, and with Peter appearing back in the land of the living, the whole farce of Sirius Black, Traitor and Killer of the Potters crumbled. Being tried and sentenced before Christmas, Harry, for once, spent Christmas away from not only the Dursleys, but also Hogwarts castle. Having been able to invite Hermione and Neville over for dinner, the three teens got to see what Sirius said was one of many properties the Ancient and Noble House of Black owned. A large mansion, nearly rivaling the size of the Longbottom Manor, Harry was ecstatic when Sirius asked him to live with him instead of at the Dursleys come summertime.

The rest of third year went more smoothly than the last two, thankfully.

Summertime had come swiftly, and with it another combined birthday party for Harry and Neville, this time held at Black Manor. Harry hadn't gone back to the Dursleys since the summer between second and third year, and he never wanted to go back. So far, Professor Dumbledore had come to visit three times since school ended, but it was always whenever Harry was out of the house. He was never told the reason for the Headmaster's visits.

But after Neville and Harry celebrated their birthdays, Sirius surprised them both with tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. The event was spectacular, and they sat in the same box as the Minister and accompanying delegations, partly because of Sirius' status as the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, partly because the Minister was trying to suck up to Lord Black after him being unlawfully incarcerated for 12 years. Neville, Harry, and Hermione saw the Weasleys there, as well as other classmates they knew from school, and all had a really great time when Ireland won, despite Bulgaria catching the snitch.

The morning after, however, chaos reigned.

Death Eaters had appeared, Sirius explained to them as he woke them up from their beds. They were told to grab onto this portkey and to get out of there. "I will join you later," Sirius said. Doing as they were told, they appeared in the middle of the entrance to Longbottom Manor, Augusta hurrying down the stairs to meet them. After being assured that they were alright, Madam Longbottom tried to put the three back to bed, but none were able to sleep. Worry about Sirius consumed Harry, and so Neville and Hermione waited up in the living room with him, the three playing games and talking as they waited for Siriu to arrive.

Just after the sun rose, Sirius appeared, weary looking and staggering from lack of sleep. He ended up passing out on the couch after telling the three that the Death Eaters got away, and any Muggles that were affected were being treated at St. Mungo's at that moment. What he didn't tell them, which they found out a few hours later when an early edition of the Daily Prophet arrived, was that someone had cast the Dark Mark above a few bodies of wizards caught in the crossfire. It had reported no one had been caught, and no one knew who cast the spell. It was by group consensus, then, that Harry, Hermione, and Neville were glad they were removed from the area, after getting post from Ginny Weasley, whom they had gotten closer to over the past year having needed to band together against Ron. She had written to them speaking of how the new wand Ron had gotten had been lost, and when it was found, it had been snapped in half and in the hands of a House-Elf of Bartimus Crouch Sr, who worked at the ministry with their father. Mr. Crouch ended up promising to buy a new wand for Ron at their earliest convenience, before dismissing his Elf.

Besides these events, the rest of summer went smoothly. Sirius escorted the three to Diagon Alley to buy their school things, and met up with the Weasleys there. Ron had been absent, having gone off with Percy and Barty Crouch to get his wand, leaving everyone else to catch up. Besides the event at the World Cup, nothing had gone wrong so far, which worried Harry that something bigger was coming along later. He kept bracing himself for it, and yet by the time the first month of school went by, everything was still peaceful and boring.

To Harry, it was amazing.

However, there was the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament that worried Harry immensely. With his track record, he'd be forced to enter, and the last thing he wanted to do was to risk his life again. The only thing nowadays that managed to keep his mind off of the perils that were bound to ensue was Hermione and her calming presence at his side. Sirius had pulled him off to the side the night before returning to Hogwarts and had given him _the Talk_ , resulting in a very red Boy-Who-Lived, who refused to meet his best friend's gaze for the entire train ride to school without blushing profusely. Prompted by Sirius' talk, however, Harry had made a decision by the time they had arrived at Hogwarts.

By lunchtime on the first day of classes, Harry had asked Hermione to be his girlfriend, and to his joy, she said yes.

So not only did Harry want to preserve his life by staying out of the Tournament, he didn't want to worry Hermione, who had to deal with enough of his injuries from Quidditch to need to worry about anything else.

The day before Halloween, the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons showed up and made their introductions, Ron excitedly whispering about Viktor Krum, the seeker from Bulgaria, being there. Most of the male student body, however, swooned over a few of the girls from the Beauxbatons students, which Hermione had explained as the allure of the Veela, which they had all encountered before at the World Cup a few months before. Harry was, to Hermione's happiness, unaffected by the allure.

The day after, on Halloween itself, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were up at their normal time for breakfast. Since it was a Monday, classes had been cancelled in honor of the Triwizard Tournament and the arrival of the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Learning from Professor McGonagall that the foreign students would be joining them in classes, everyone in the upper years got to look forward to sharing their class space with the newcomers. Since the two schools only brought students older than seventeen with them, only the 7th years were affected by this change. Several Prefects were enlisted to lead the new students around Hogwarts, showing them where their classes would be and the tips and tricks to getting around the castle.

The Golden Trio, however, spent their time after breakfast sitting in the hall doing homework, watching those people who were brave enough to enter their names into the Goblet. Hermione noted to the other two how, when the name was submitted correctly and approved, the applicant had a glow of white magic around them a second before the Goblet's fire flared up to eat up the paper. Both boys looked at her surprised, and she was confused until she learned they didn't see the magic like she could. Neville spoke of the Mage Sight, while let a person see magic that wasn't cast directly from a wand. Seeing Hermione make a mental note (she made the cutest face when she did so, her nose wrinkling up as her mouth slanted to the side, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth), Harry knew they were about to spend most of their day in the library researching. That, however, would come after coursework. His grades have never been better and Neville was slowly rising on the academic ladder, much to his grandmother's pleasure. Hermione had been offered unlimited use of the Longbottom library because of all of her help, much to the girl's surprise and happiness.

One incident happened after their Mage Sight talk that made Harry bristle. Although he and Hermione were now dating, they didn't really publicize their relationship. That didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable when he noticed Viktor Krum's eyes lingering on his girlfriend after he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. It seemed the Quidditch player was debating on coming over to them, Harry's body tense if a confrontation followed, when Krum was intercepted by an overly enthusiastic Ron Weasley, who had an armful of things he wanted sign. Disgruntled, Krum left, but Harry made a note to himself to be wary of the other Seeker in the future.

By lunchtime, their homework for the week was completely done, giving them plenty of time for the rest of the week to do whatever else they would want to do. Heading into the Great Hall for lunch, Harry was right when Hermione propositioned them to head to the library to research Mage Sight after they ate. Agreeing with his girlfriend, they were joined by Lavender and Parvati, who wanted help from Hermione on homework. By the time they had gotten from the Gryffindor Tower to the library, the trio only had a few hours before dinnertime, and the Halloween feast.

Harry had been on edge for nearly the entire day, wondering when the other shoe would drop, but everything remained peaceful, for once. Finding nothing in the library on Mage Sight, Hermione got Harry and Neville to promise to write to Sirius and Madam Longbottom for any books in their respective libraries, and Hermione would be looking through bookshops for any books as well. She wanted to know more about this ability that she had that wasn't commonplace. They had agreed, however, to keep it amongst themselves, just like Harry's Parseltongue ability. The less people around them knew, the less frightened by the unknown they would be.

Fortunately, the feast itself was dull, but the excitement in the air at the selection of the champions was thick enough to cut. Harry knew it must have been two feasts in two days for him feeling super stuffed super quickly, but he was content with putting more on Hermione's plate when he noticed she was spending more time reading a book she had gotten from the library rather than eating, much to her blushing embarrassment. Harry got a kiss on the cheek for his efforts, and her book stashed in her bag as well.

"You know, this has been an uneventful Halloween so far. I could get used to this," Harry said in between dinner being taken away and dessert appearing before them.

"Oh, don't say that, you're going to jinx it somehow," Hermione fretted with a frown.

"Come on, Hermione. What's the worst that could happen?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Famous last words, Harry," Neville joked as he watched Harry poke Hermione's side just to find out that she was ticklish. Harry's eyes sparkling with glee, he started tickling Hermione until she couldn't breathe, gathering the attentions of those seated around them. Lightly hitting his arm when he stopped, she gave him a half glare before kissing him on the cheek. Dessert then appeared, and after Hermione explained again what all of the French dishes were again, Harry gladly helped himself to the ones he knew he liked from last night.

With the conclusion of the feast, Harry impatiently waited for the announcement of the champions for the tournament.

"Hope it's Angelina," Fred commented a couple of seats away, most of the House around him nodding in agreement as Angelina herself flushed in embarrassment. Their attention was called to the Head Table where Dumbledore stood, the Goblet of Fire being brought to directly in front of him, the flames of the Goblet blue.

"The Goblet is nearly ready to make its decision. One thing I would like to note before we begin is that once a champion is chosen, we ask them to make their way up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will receive their instructions," Dumbledore said, indicating to a door directly behind Professor Snape. Everyone turned their attention to the Goblet and waited. Nothing was happening. A few minutes went by, before the fire inside the Goblet suddenly turned red, before it belched out a piece of paper, Professor Dumbledore's hand shooting out to snatch it out of midair.

As the minutes went by, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons joined Viktor Krum of Durmstrang in the room behind the staff table, with Cedric Diggory joining them shortly afterwards. Taking Hermione's hand in glee, Harry shared a smile with her, thinking he was in the clear for having a troublesome school year. Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something, probably a closing speech, when the Goblet turned red once more, everyone's gaze fixated onto it. Harry felt the pit of his stomach drop, and Hermione squeezed his hand out of worry.

"Harry Potter," called the Headmaster, and the hall went completely silent. There was a moment of stunned silence from him, and then-

"No!" Harry called out, standing up, his hand still firmly clenched in Hermione's. He made no motion to move away from the Gryffindor table. "I did not enter my name and do not wish to participate in the tournament." His mind kept flashing to all of the death tolls and the mortality rates that they had looked up earlier that month, which he had decided swiftly afterwards that the tournament was not for him.

"Harry, you have been chosen, my boy. Please, come up through here and we-" Dumbledore began, but Harry interrupted him.

"No. I did not enter my name, and do not wish to participate in the tournament," Harry repeated before sitting down again, looking at Hermione with a determined gaze, who only looked back at him in fear and worry.

"Come, let us talk about it in the privacy of the chamber behind us. We will figure something out," Dumbledore tried to convince him, but Harry shook his head.

"Disqualify me, please. Since it was not me who put my name in there, I have no ties to this tournament beside as an observer, and should you wish for me, a fourteen year old, to compete in something that has an age limit three years my senior, that speaks more on your value of this school and the tournament than in my safety," Harry replied, refusing to look back up at the Head Table, instead staring at his cleared plate. A moment of silence followed his proclamation, before whispers started up all around the Great Hall. The Headmaster had to call for silence once more, before he dismissed everyone from the Great Hall.

Professor Snape caught up with Harry before he headed out with the rest. "Professor Dumbledore would like to request your presence in his office. He would be meeting you there once he is finished with the other champions." Harry looked at his Potions Professor hesitantly, just feeling down with all the danger that seemed to follow him everywhere.

"Professor, can I ask you and Professor McGonagall to be there as well? I am afraid the Headmaster will try to force me to compete, which is the last thing I want to do," Harry said, his hand tight on Hermione's as he pulled her closer. The Potions Master nodded.

"I will be there," he replied. "And. . .if you can, call your guardian here. Since you are underage, he has a right to this discussion." With that, Professor Snape headed back towards the head table, giving Harry time to lead Hermione and Neville over to the corner to pull out the mirror Sirius had given him after the debacle at the World Cup.

Talking with his godfather, Harry was convinced to put the discussion with his headmaster off until the next day, so Sirius could attend as well. When Harry was led up to the Headmaster's office, he found just Professor Dumbledore there, with Professors Snape and McGonagall thankfully by his side. Before anyone could say anything, Harry repeated his earlier words about him not entering his name, and when Dumbledore started saying that Harry had to participate, Harry put his foot down.

"If you insist on trying to get me to participate, then we will continue this conversation tomorrow, when Sirius can join us. As my legal guardian, _because I am still underage_ , he has a right to know about decisions concerning my safety," Harry stated.

"Harry, I'm sure you don't need to worry your godfather about this-" Dumbledore started and Harry cut him off.

"Sirius already knows, and will be joining us after lunch tomorrow," Harry replied, staring unblinkingly at his headmaster. This next part would hurt him to say it, but it needed to be done, Sirius had assured him. "I will not participate, and if that means leaving Hogwarts to ensure that, then this castle might not be my home for much longer." With Professors McGonagall and Snape by his side, Harry felt a lot braver than he really was, and waited tensely in the silence that followed his proclamation. At long last, Professor Dumbledore spoke.

"Then we shall wait for your guardian to join us before speaking any more," he said, a frown appearing on his lips. "But Harry, surely you can-"

"Since Mister Potter here has classes tomorrow, Albus, anything else you need to talk about with him can wait until tomorrow's meeting," Professor Snape interrupted.

"Yes, I will escort him back to Gryffindor Tower, since he will want to sleep well tonight to focus on his studies tomorrow," Professor McGonagall added before Dumbledore could interject. "Tell the Headmaster goodnight, Mister Potter."

"Goodnight Headmaster," Harry said obediently before letting himself be led away by his Head of House and Professor Snape. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, the three found Hermione and Neville waiting for him.

"Come along, you two," Professor McGonagall stated as she turned to head towards Gryffindor Tower, Professor Snape heading in the opposite direction toward the dungeons.

"Yes Professor," the two chorused before joining Harry's side, Hermione's hand finding her boyfriend's. McGonagall left them at the entrance to the tower, and the three paused for a moment to let Harry collect himself.

"Just know that I believe you when you say that you didn't enter your name," Neville said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Harry nodded in recognition with a chuckle.

"Guess I'm not meant to have a normal, quiet year, huh?" Harry asked with a sigh. And with a squeeze of Hermione's hand, then three entered the portrait hole to face the music.

* * *

A/N: So things have REALLY changed from original canon, lol. Who's to say what will change now that Wormtail is in Ministry custody instead of seeking his old master out? :3 And will Harry be forced to participate? We'll just have to wait and see. ^.^

If you liked what you read, please consider favoriting and following, so you know when I update, as well as maybe leaving a review to share with me what you thought of it. I also am putting a poll up on my profile, about whether I should do a Christmas themed continuation of this one (and maybe a Valentine's Day one after that, if people want one). The poll will be up until the final chapter of this story, so you all have until Saturday! :D


	5. Toad

A/N: Hey everyone! This story seems to have blown up overnight! My phone died in class last night from all of the emails that got sent :) First off, let me thank the 30 people who favorited and the 52 people who are following the story. You all are awesome, and I'm so humbled by the attention you guys give me :)

Thank you pianomouse, anotherboarduser, EndlessChains, texan-muggle, ckahaki, and HHr fan for the reviews! :D All of your replies are in your inbox :) (HHr fan, since you didn't log in, I can tell you that I'm debating doing other holidays. Just depends on the reaction I get from this story. ^.^ )

I also want to give a special shout out to texan-muggle for being my unofficial beta for this story. You're saving my butt, thank you so much *all the huggles*

Events are getting a little heated! D: Let's see how this year turns out. Please enjoy!

* * *

Year Five: Toad

The bad news is, Harry had to participate in the Tournament.

The worse news is, someone really was trying to kill him.

The terrible news is, Cedric died in said Tournament.

The absolute worst news is that Voldemort is back and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

Despite fighting for being excluded from the Tournament, he was still forced to by the Ministry, making enemies left and right with that decision. There was nothing Sirius could do, and Barty Crouch insisted on it that Harry would lose his magic, and perhaps his life, should he not compete. Unwilling to leave behind Hermione, Harry was forced to participate. He ended up not taking the Tournament seriously, choosing to do poorly in all of the tasks since he was the only one without a choice. The dragon had been easy: with his trusty Firebolt at his side, and his Parseltongue actually understood by the dragon, it had been easy to just put on a show. He spent the longest time in trying to get his egg, just because, and with no smashed eggs to show for it, as well as no injuries, Harry got a cushy third place ranking.

The Second Task, Hermione was taken, and it was the only task that actually saw Harry trying to save her the quickest. He didn't want her in danger for any longer than absolutely necessary. With Professor Snape's help, Harry consumed Gillyweed, and with Sirius' help, he managed to find Hermione within twenty minutes of the start time with the handy Point Me Spell. When they emerged, Harry hadn't even waited for the scores to be posted. He took Hermione into the tent that served as an impromptu hospital wing, got her warmed up, and then took off with her back to the castle, distrusting everyone in association with the Tournament. Sirius followed after them, sticking to the two teens like glue, whereas Professor Snape followed after as soon as he made his way through the stands.

Surprisingly enough, the Potions Master had become an important figure in Harry's life. The man was less caustic to him than the rest of the Gryffindors, and for that he was thankful. Ron seemed to draw most of the man's ire, and through observation, Harry saw that it was much better to have Professor Snape as a friend than an enemy.

Almost as soon as the entire school traipsed back into the castle, Sirius immediately went to Dumbledore and told him he was withdrawing Harry and Hermione for the weekend, to remove them from a "dangerous environment." It was not well received, for the Headmaster thought that all Champions should stay in the castle for the celebrations within the respective houses.

"For Harry's and Hermione's mental health, they are leaving the castle tonight," Sirius insisted, which only made Dumbledore frown.

"As minors-"

"Unfortunately for you, because you insisted that Harry participate, you declared him legally an adult. You can't go back on your decision now," snarled Sirius in return, before ushering the two away before Dumbledore could bring up Hermione's minority.

It was all downhill from there. With Harry's temper high and his patience run thin, he just didn't care anymore. The Third Task was a joke. Harry was well prepared, but while the other Champions ran their way through, Harry decided on a leisurely stroll through the atrocity that ruined their Quidditch pitch. He had promised Hermione he would stay safe during this task, and he was intending on keeping this promise.

By the time he reached a patch of Boggarts, which all transformed into Dementors, a well placed _Patronus_ followed by a _Riddikulus_ spell to drive out all three that descended upon him, there was a resounding cannon shot that reverberated through his very bones. Pausing after he had defended himself, Harry looked up at the scoreboard to see who had reached the Cup first. Seeing Cedric's name and picture there, Harry turned to see if he could spot Hermione, but couldn't due to the bright spotlights flooding the pitch.

"Potter, are you alright?" Professor Snape asked, suddenly appearing at his elbow. He had a patch on that signified he was one of the teachers selected to patrol the perimeter and help downed Champions. With Snape's hand on his elbow, Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is the Tournament over yet?" he had asked, and looking grimly, Snape nodded before leading him out of the maze.

Hermione ran into him almost as soon as he cleared the foliage, Sirius following behind her closely. It was then that he was told that as soon as Cedric had touched the Cup, he had disappeared.

Almost an hour later, the Cup reappeared, but with no Cedric in tow. To everyone's horror, three Death Eaters and a hooded figure with no mask appeared with it. As soon as spells started to fly, the screaming started, and Sirius immediately ushered Harry and Hermione away.

"Sirius, we have to do something!" Harry had yelled as he was hauled away.

"Leave it for the adults! You may have adult status now, but not the magical skill," he replied before pulling them behind some trees in the Forbidden Forest. Sirius pulled out a pocket watch from the inside of his robes. "Grab hold!" As soon as the two had touched the watch, Sirius yelled something, and all three of them portkeyed away from Hogwarts.

The front page of the Daily Prophet the next morning proclaimed that Voldemort was back.

Hermione didn't go back to her parent's house that entire summer, giving the excuse of her parents having decided to visit family overseas. Harry was more than happy to let her stay with him and Sirius at Black Manor, and through the combined libraries of Black Manor, Longbottom Manor (that Madam Longbottom so courteously loaned them), and Potter Manor (which, because of the Ministry recognizing Harry as an adult, saw Gringotts to notify him about his inheritance) they discovered the full capacity of Hermione's Mage Sight. She had a small bit of it, being able to see active magics, however with Sirius' explanation of the more she practiced it, the better she would be at it, she would often be found practicing with a warded ball of iron in the library, often spending hours there at a time, just meditating. Harry sometimes joined her. The meditation was good for him to work on. Since Voldemort came back, his scar had been constantly prickling uncomfortably, so much that he asked Professor Snape for a Pain Reducing Potion. When he was asked why, Professor Snape determined a different approach was needed.

His lessons in Occlumency began.

A few weeks after these lessons began, in which Professor Snape was admitted to Black Manor, he and Sirius got into a row. Sirius was used to grudges being held by the other man, especially after the humiliation James made Severus suffer in their fifth year. "Why? He's James' son, after all?" Harry heard Sirius say from his place on the landing.

"You forget, _Lord Black_ , that Harry is also Lily's son as well," came Professor Snape's reply, and Sirius seemed to be at a loss for words.

This year, Harry got a private birthday party for close friends and family, as well as the shared public birthday with Neville, held at Longbottom Manor. With the revival of Voldemort, the gathering was smaller than usual, for everyone had to be screened thoroughly to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Thankfully, there were no mishaps the entire summer.

* * *

Fifth year at Hogwarts saw the a new professor in the role of their Defense teacher, a nasty woman named Umbridge. She had been sent by the Ministry, and with Voldemort back, all students fifth year and older were meant to be trained to defend themselves from any attacks. As Hermione put it, they were being trained to be an army.

Surprisingly enough, they were being taught valuable things. Hexes, curses, jinxes were all topics covered in Defense, and while they haven't started practicing any of them yet, they were taught how to protect against them. But only shields were shown to them. Harry had talked with Hermione, agreeing that they would need to learn more than just defensive spells.

That was when the Ministry started to crack down on them.

With a war looming on the horizon, Umbridge began to slowly take over the school. While she began to seem to target Harry for his 'cowardice' and 'lack of action' last spring, Harry was coached by not only Professor McGonagall but also Professor Snape in keeping his temper and sticking with his story.

"My guardian took me out of harm's way." And no matter how much she needled him, he kept to that story. It eventually earned him a week of detention with a Blood Quill, almost a ban to Quidditch (it was just a week without his Firebolt), and a severe lecture from his girlfriend.

His last detention would, of course, take place on Halloween. His back of his hand hurt, and he was sure that the words "I will own up to my faults" would scar soon enough.

The day itself started out normally. Umbridge was a continuous presence in all of their classes, and in double Potions, they worked on the Calming Draught, the High Inquisitor making small notes on her clipboard every now and then. Just like how Professor Snape prowled through the classroom, and Umbridge appeared to try to mimic his show of power and knowledge, only failing miserably when she tripped on the leg of a table, upending Malfoy and Pansy's potions to spill all over the floor. As everyone began to jump up onto their chairs, Umbridge turned and began to blame Harry.

"He must have sent a tripping jinx at me!" she shrieked, and Professor Snape quickly came to his aid.

"From across the classroom, that would be quite the feat, but if you insist on accusing a student of something he didn't do, we can always check his wand," the Potions Master replied before requesting Harry's wand. Handing it over no problem, for he had nothing to hide, Harry was proven innocent when it was revealed that his last spell had been the silencing charm they had practiced in Charms that morning.

Umbridge was still seething by dinnertime, and there was a pit in Harry's stomach at the glares she was sending him. Taking Sirius' advice in keeping his head down, he didn't know why Umbridge had a personal vendetta against him. After a very nice kiss from Hermione, however, these thoughts were chased out of his mind for the remainder of the feast. It was surreal, to encounter a Halloween feast without anything major happening. First year was the troll, second year was the deathday party and basilisk, third year was a wonderful feast, despite the harrowing events afterwards, and fourth year was the Goblet of Fire incident. It just seemed so unfair that it always happened to him.

Once the feast concluded, Harry parted from Hermione with a kiss, and while she, Neville, Parvati (who as of the conclusion of the Second Task last year started dating Neville), and Lavender headed back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry's steps took him towards Umbridge's office. Knocking, he waited for a reply, but never got one. Harry decided to wait, leaning against the wall outside of her office. Umbridge came around the corner a few minutes later, still dabbing at her mouth with her handkerchief.

"Come along, Potter. Time for your detention," she trilled before unlocking her office and heading inside. The detention was simple enough, writing his lines over and over again, for at least half an hour, though the pain in his hand making it seem like much longer. At the end of the detention, Umbridge had a sickly smile on his face, as if she was the cat who ate the canary. Oblivious to her thoughts, Harry left, nursing his hand on his way to the Gryffindor Tower. Hermione met him in the common room with a bowl of murtlap essence to soothe his hand, and a letter from Sirius to peruse.

The more he read into the letter, the grin on Harry's face grew. Looking up to Hermione, he saw her shiver at his glee.

"As my magical guardian until I turn seventeen, Sirius has full rights to seek retribution against someone using a dark magical object against his charge and scion."

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! :D Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoy what you read, please consider leaving a follow, a favorite, and maybe even a review. It all means a lot to me :)


	6. Horcrux

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for posting so late in the day D: I've been busy all day, and this chapter literally fought me tooth and nail, so I apologize if a lot of it is exposition and not fun-like :/

I would like to thank the 38 people who favorited and the 66 people who followed this story. You're all awesome :D

I also want to thank texan-muggle, EndlessChains, and anotherboarduser for reviewing last chapter. :) You guys are amazing. ^.^ Replies should be in your inbox.

Also, special shoutout to texan-muggle for being my unofficial beta. They really are awesome and everything :D :D :D

Here, Umbridge gets her just deserts, and Dumbledore gets a shock that he wasn't expecting. Let's hope there's not too many deaths this year. But with Voldemort and the Death Eaters super quiet, what's going to happen?

Please enjoy! :D

* * *

Year Six: Horcrux

Fifth year went smoothly after Halloween and Sirius' revelation. For the High Inquisitor, however, everything went downhill from there. Sirius brought up allegations against Madam Umbridge for injuring the House Black heir. He was seeking justice for the unlawful punishment she feted out to all the students during her reign of Ministry-approved terror.

The ministry didn't like that.

By Christmas time, Umbridge was out of the castle, and Dumbledore was left scrambling to get a replacement for her. Safe to say, the Toad lost her job at the ministry, and three months in Azkaban. After the Christmas break, however, everyone came back to pleasantly find that Professor Lupin was back, on the urgings of Sirius, of course.

The rest of the year went wonderfully. With the threat of Umbridge gone, and the Ministry under Sirius' heel, Harry and his classmates had no problems with school. It was almost. . .normal.

Almost.

With the threat of Voldemort out in the world, and no one doing anything about it, there was an underlying fear within everyone. Malfoy, of course, strutted around like he owned the place, but even he had uneasy expressions when he didn't think anyone was looking.

There was a confrontation during the last Hogsmead trip of the year after months of silence from the dark forces. The village was besieged and the older students were able to fend the Death Eaters off until the Aurors arrived. Later, upon telling Sirius about everything that had happened, he brought up a good point.

"It sounds like they were looking for something."

The end of the year was stressful. Between their O.W.L.s and the threat of death looming over their heads, no one really had the luxury to relax. With Hermione's help, Harry passed all of his exams, and as a present, Sirius took him and Hermione on a tour of Europe once Summer came.

Starting with Spain, then France, and then through middle Europe, the trio spend a week at each destination, seeing the sights, experiencing the culture of the Wizarding World of each place. Harry figured out what his godfather was doing the fourth time Sirius had pointed out a wizarding school from the area. They had visited Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and a few minor schools that weren't considered part of the Big 11 Schools, and after the five hour tour, Harry rounded on the older wizard.

"Sirius, what's going on?" Hermione turned back from the bookshelf she was perusing to look at the two dark haired men.

"I just find these places interesting, that's all," Sirius replied easily, shrugging his shoulders. "I like seeing the difference between them and-"

"Bull," Harry groused back.

"So I'm shopping around for new schools for you in case we need to flee the country, no big deal," Sirius said, ignoring the shocked faces of the two teens in front of him. "And maybe getting a couple of other governments on board with helping the British Wizarding World out of the pit that they've dug us all into."

"Sirius, what do you mean?" Hermione asked, her attention completely diverted from the foreign books before her.

"I've had appointments with the Ministers of other countries the entire time we've been abroad," came Sirius' reply. "Our ministry is useless, and I don't want any more lives lost, especially those of yours and your friends. Knowing Dumbledore, he's going to try to give you hints that don't actually help. Try to aim you towards the path he wants you to tread, but tell you nothing about it. I'm not going to have my godson be a martyr for a useless cause."

After that, their vacation became less fun, focused more on creating the political alliances that would not only help them as members of the Houses of Black and Potter, but also especially saving Wizarding Britain. With Harry now in on the plan, he and Hermione joined the negotiations. Surprisingly enough, and to Harry's delight, the title of the Boy-Who-Lived held little to no sway outside of Britain. no one fawned over him, and anyone in a high political position treated him like the almost 16 year old that he was.

It was enough for Harry to entertain the idea of moving abroad after school. If he lived long enough. . .

His 16th birthday saw them heading back to the Black Manor to find it in disarray. Kreacher, the house-elf from Number 12 Grimmauld, was waiting for them, being tended to by the Black Manor elves. The Death Eaters had raided the place, gaining access through Bellatrix Lestrange. Kreacher took unkindly to those who had brought about his favorite master's death. Regulus was Sirius' brother who had joined the Death Eaters, but learning from Kreacher, Regulus was not one at the time of his death. The house-elf managed to get away to the Black Manor, where few people, even those with Black blood, had access to, and brought them a crucial piece of information and a vital item to bringing Voldemort down: Slytherin's locket, and the fact that it was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

Neville joined them that night and the four put their heads together. Apparently, the talking diary from their second year was a Horcrux as well. Which then brought up the question of how many did he make and how many more were out there?

"Do we really want to take on this task of defeating MoldyShorts?" Neville asked them in the second week of August.

"If we don't, who else in Britain will stand up against him?" Harry pointed out before adding teasingly, "But don't worry. We have new friends in high places. It wasn't all fun and games on our vacation, you know."

"Well, how do we find the others, if there are others? How do we destroy them?" Hermione interjected, having been stumped since they found out about the Horcruxes.

"The Ministry handled all of that in our Second year. But maybe the Goblins would know something?" Neville offered. "Gran said they know a lot about a lot of things."

* * *

School started out okay. Professor Snape finally obtained the post of Defense teacher, much to Harry's delight. Although he was a Potions Master, he had great skill in the Dark Arts and a defense against it, and Harry knew that, besides Professor Lupin's lessons, this year they would actually learn something practical. A Professor Slughorn was brought in to teach Potions, and Harry immediately took a dislike to the man. All he saw was the potential future connections he could gain for favoring some students over others. The Slug Club was brought back, for Slughorn had taught at Hogwarts before, and Harry and Hermione had been recruited almost immediately. It was practically disgusting how he fawned over them for being the Boy-Who-Lived and the "Brightest Witch of her Time". Sirius, however, told them to be as buddy buddy with him as they could. Just like how he benefitted for having connections with them, they benefitted from having connections with him. Harry didn't see how. He just wasn't politically inclined yet.

Harry was chosen as captain of the Quidditch team, and Hermione has come to every practice so far. With the threat of Voldemort looming over their heads, however, he found little enjoyment in anything. Harry was beginning to get headaches that his Occlumency couldn't block out, and his temper could get sparked by the smallest of things. Only his girlfriend's calming presence beside him kept him from getting into a full blown with someone.

Ironically enough, it was Halloween when he finally blew his top.

He, Hermione, and Neville were headed to lunch after morning classes when a splitting migraine hit Harry. Crumbling to his knees, he barely felt Hermione on one side and Neville on the other, but as he looked up, he felt a white hot flash of pain in his scar as he looked at Professor Dumbledore. Then everything went dark.

When he woke up, Harry was in the Hospital Wing, Hermione and Sirius on one side, Dumbledore on the other. Neville had to go to Transfiguration to update Professor McGonagall and hadn't come back yet. Madam Pomfrey was bustling about on the other end of the Wing.

"Harry, are you alright?" came Hermione's soft voice. She sat on the bed as Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"Pain's still there-"

"It's from your connection with the Dark Lord, Harry," Dumbledore cut in, drawing Harry's eyes to him as the bedridden boy frowned.

"Headmaster, explain," he said curtly before flinging the blankets off of him to get of the bed. With a glare, Hermione flipped the covers back over him. They shared a look of defiance between each other before Harry deflated conceded this battle to her. Everyone's eyes went to Dumbledore as he cleared his throat.

"Harry, you and Voldemort are inexplicably linked together, through that scar." He pointed to Harry's forehead as if to make a point. "The Killing Curse leaves no physical mark, and yet you received one. It is a mystery to many people-"

"Professor, can you get to the point? Repeating nonsense from books gets boring after the seventh or more recitation," Harry interjected.

"Well, for me to do that, you all need to hear a little story, firs-"

"DO I HAVE A BLOODY HORCRUX IN MY HEAD OR NOT?!" came the explosion from the bed, leaving Dumbledore pale and wide-eyed.

"My boy, where did you learn about such-"

"Why are you all bothering him! He needs to be resting!" Madam Pomfrey scolded as she headed over to their little group. She placed a potion on his bedside table before looking Hermione in the eye. "Make sure he takes that before going back to class," she instructed before nudging Dumbledore off to the side to check Harry's vitals. Harry, however, had his gaze only on the Headmaster.

"Is there a Horcrux in my head?" Harry repeated. "Because if so, that would explain the pain and extreme emotions and the dreams and the visions-"

"Why didn't you tell me about any of these things?" Dumbledore asked, bewildered at everything being revealed.

"When you become inaccessible and incapable of being contacted, it becomes difficult to communicate with you," Hermione interjected, taking Harry's hand in the hopes of calming him down, Madam Pomfrey tutting before bustling off to grab something.

"Albus, we need you to tell us all you know about the Horcruxes. How many Voldemort made, where they are, hell, even _what_ they are would be helpful," Sirius then piped in, so far staying silent to assess everything.

"Everything will be revealed in due time-"

"Sir, we don't have the _time_ to let it reveal itself on its own. If you know anything, then tell us. We have plans put into place to take care of them," Hermione stated, taking over the discussion to let Harry try to calm down. His agitation would definitely NOT help the pain in his head. With a strained look on his face as if he was making a distasteful decision, Dumbledore nodded.

"I will need to pool my notes together, but if you all come to my office after dinner on Saturday, I will tell you everything you need to know. I do hope you know what you are doing," came the Professor's reply. Hermione nodded.

"Professor, trust us. We've made powerful friends this past summer," she replied before giving Harry's hand a squeeze. He opened his mouth to ask exactly who, but the matron appeared again and tipped a potion down Harry's throat without warning. Sputtering and choking, Hermione had to help him into a better sitting position to try and help. When he finally caught his breath, Harry was just about 500% done with the day.

Turning to Dumbledore, Harry gave a sigh. "Professor, we will see you in two days." Clearly being dismissed by the teen, the Headmaster turned to leave.

"Til Saturday, then," he agreed before heading out of the Hospital Wing.

Crumbling onto the bed, Harry gave out a groan before realizing that his headache was gone. "Is it bad that I just want this all to be over right now?" Gathering Hermione up in his arms, her pulled her fully onto the bed, making her squeal a little bit.

"It's not bad," Sirius stated with a soft smile before getting up from the chair he was in. "Although with how eventful your time at Hogwarts has been, don't doubt that your last year won't be boring if we finish him off soon." Clasping a hand to Harry's shoulder, he gave his godson a wolfish smile. "Which is good, because that will leave you with just enough time and attention span for Lord training." With another groan, Harry buried his face into Hermione's neck, her arms pulling him in for a cuddle.

"I dun wanna!"

"Too bad, pup. You're going to eventually need to learn how to do all of this for when after Voldemort dies and you take up your inheritance."

"If I don't die first," Harry mumbled in reply, tempted to let his more brattish side out. At the sound of Hermione's calm heartbeat, however, he changed his mind.

"Come on, what's the worst-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Sirius!"

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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that! Sorry if it feels short, like I said, it was fighting me the entire time I tried writing it :/

If you did enjoy, please consider leaving a follow, favorite, or even a review! :D Next update will be on this Saturday, on Samhain, so I hope you all can be in attendance for it :)

Also, I do have a poll up on my profile right now. Basically asking if I should do a Christmastime sequel similar to this one. The Christmas one I was thinking would focus more heavily on the fluff between our favorite couple. :p

Alright then. Until next time. *waves*


	7. Detention

A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! :D First off, I want to thank every single one of you who have stuck with me so far. You are all awesome, and I'm so grateful that so many of you enjoy my writings. ^.^ Secondly, I want to thank the 40 people who favorited and the 68 people who followed this story, as well as the 31 people who had reviewed over the entirety of this story. I would also like to thank the people who reviewed since the last chapter, including rb2312 (who reviewed twice), EndlessChains, anotherboarduser, and pianomouse (who reviewed twice). Thank you all, you are all great, and your replies will be in your inboxes. :)

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, despite its relative shortness. :)

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Year Seven: Detention

The past six years had been more dangerous for Harry than the previous ten years spent at the Dursleys. First there was a troll, and Voldemort's attempt on his life. Then there was the basilisk followed by the dementors roaming the grounds. Then the forcible entry into the Tournament and the Ministry's intervention at Hogwarts with the threat of war looming above their heads. Last year had the death of Dumbledore at Voldemort's hand, the war starting on the very steps of Hogwarts.

Fortunately enough, the goblins knew much about the dark magic that kept Voldemort's soul anchored in the real world. By the end of Sixth Year, the goblins had already taken care of four artifacts that held pieces of soul magic in them. It could only be assumed that they belonged to Voldemort. Who else would have the audacity to split up a soul? By Harry's birthday, the Horcrux that was in his scar had been taken care of, which only left Voldemort to be taken care of. Assuming, of course, the Dark Lord hadn't made more of them during that time.

Once that last Horcrux was taken care of, it was time to speak to several friends overseas.

Within the first two weeks of August, the Ministries of Magic from France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy arrived and started hunting down Death Eaters left and right. All wizards on these hit squads wore badges of the ICW, sanctioned by the newest Supreme Mugwump, who had replaced Dumbledore days after the wizard's death hit the Wizarding Wireless. These wizards had no qualm about taking down anyone who used dark magic like it was a plaything, using curses and hexes that would incapacitate the Death Eaters but not kill them. Every single one of them would be tried before the ICW, and sentenced by the nations. It had been too long Britain had been left to rule on its own, making foolish decisions all for the sake of pureblood pride. Enough was enough.

Voldemort's head was severed from his body by the time the Supreme Mugwump appeared on the scene on August 17th.

Reforms swept through the Ministry, swept through Hogwarts, and everything outdated and outclassed was revised and updated. The British Wizarding World was getting changes for the good, and Harry was happy that he, in some way, helped these changes along.

 _At least they could have given me_ _ **some**_ _reprieve for being a pseudo-saviour to the wizarding world_ , Harry thought as he suffered through one of Professor Biltrop's Advanced Transfiguration lesson. Since Professor McGonagall had taken over as Headmistress, a new teacher had been brought in for Transfiguration. Professor Slughorn still taught Potions, and with Voldemort's death, the supposed 'curse' on the post for Defense Against the Dark Arts had been lifted, but to everyone's happiness. Although Snape was a better Potions Master, he had been a better DA teacher than many they've had in the years past. New courses were added that all years could take, including cultural classes of both the Wizarding and Muggle world alike-Muggles Studies having been gotten rid of-as well as a new class about Shamanic magics that had nearly all third years and up scrambling to get into.

Now, Harry was glad that he would finally get to have a quiet year at Hogwarts with no strings attached, but he just wanted to be able to relax this year. Having everyone, including his girlfriend, breathe down his neck about his N.E.W.T.s was making him not want to do anything.

"Potter! Detention this Friday! Honestly, I would think you would _want_ to learn more about a subject your father was adept in," snapped Professor Biltrop, shaking Harry out of his reverie. Scowling, Harry muttered a "Sorry Professor" before turning his attention to the board and staring blankly at it. He had no idea what any of it meant, and would have to ask Hermione later.

But Friday came all too quickly, and everyone was abuzz with delight. It was Halloween, the first Halloween not to have a heavy cloud hanging over it, and Harry was actually excited for the feast this year. Everything was going great. Except. . .

Everyone was acting oddly, Hermione included. For the past two weeks, whenever he came around people, they would cease talking and look at him until he had passed. It had worried him immensely, when he asked Hermione, and she would either skirt the issue or just wave it off.

"You became too paranoid with Voldemort coming back. Now that he's gone, we just have to get you to relax somehow."

Right after breakfast, Professor Snape headed them off as Harry, Hermione, and Neville left the Great Hall.

"Harry, you will be serving your detention from Professor Biltrop with me tonight. Meet me in the Defense classroom 104. Don't bother with dinner, I will have something prepared for us." At Harry's dejected nod about missing the feast, the Defense instructor headed away to his first class, while the trio both headed towards the greenhouses for Herbology.

Dinnertime came too quickly to Harry's distaste, and after they dropped their things off at the Gryffindor Tower, he waved off Hermione and Neville as they joined Ron and the rest of their House as they all headed down to the feast. Ron had improved in manners and temperament over the years, enough so that he had even apologized to Hermione for all of the nasty things he had ever said and done to her. His interactions with everyone had been pleasing so far as to have been included in their little group, so as Hermione and Neville joined the mass of students heading down the stairs, Ron greeted them pleasantly, separating from his girlfriend, Lavender, to hang back with Neville, letting the girls stick together and talk.

Harry watched them go for a bit before trudging up the stairs to the North Tower, where Professor Snape was waiting for him in the first year Defense classroom. He was meant to spend this detention cleaning the classroom without magic, not allowed to leave until it was done, and Harry had spent half an hour scrubbing the tabletops before a loud crash sounded outside of the classroom.

"That better not be Peeves again!" Snape snapped before rushing out of the classroom. "Harry! Get out here!" Dropping his rag in the bucket, Harry hurried to the corridor where he found Professor Snape with his wand out. Pulling out his own wand, Harry lit the tip of it to see better, the torches having been all extinguished. "Follow me," came his command, and Harry did just that, the two heading down the stairs to get back to the Seventh floor.

"Professor?" Harry asked as they made their way to the stairs leading to the Sixth floor, having gone through the entire Seventh floor. Everywhere was dark, no light coming from anywhere but their wands, despite Professor Snape's attempts to relight the torches with magic. "Where have all the paintings gone?" Bringing his lit wandtip near the painting on the wall across from them, all residents in it had disappeared. Replying in the negative to Harry's question, they continued on, passing by classrooms and offices. The hair stood on the back of Harry's neck, and he felt like he kept hearing voices every other step they took.

On the Fifth floor, they found out those voices were real. What sounded like a girl came screaming past them, literally screaming, and as quickly as she came, she disappeared. "What was that?" Harry asked, but again, Professor Snape could only reply in the negative. "What is going on?"

"I don't know," Professor Snape replied, using a strange tone. "Stay close to me."

As the two made their ways down to another floor, they had more encounters with these same apparitions as before, a sprinting screaming girl here, a zombie groaning noise there, and everywhere they turned, it was dark and none of the portraits had people in them. By the time they reached the First floor, Harry, the Seventh Year who faced all sorts of baddies in his early years here at school, was jumpy, his nerves frazzled. Professor Snape keeping his calm might have been the only thing preventing Harry from sending a hex at anything that moved. They reached the Great Hall, where everything was supposed to be out in full swing with the feast, but it was strangely dark and quiet. Skirting around it for now, Professor Snape checked the front doors to find them locked. Turning back to face Harry, he kept his eyes on the teen in front of him.

"Let's check out the Great Hall. Something is definitely amiss here." With a nod from Harry, the two cautiously entered the Great Hall. A few paces in, a noise behind them drew Harry's attention, making him whirl around just in time to see the doors swing shut. Turning around, he found Professor Snape gone.

"Professor?" Harry called out warily, lifting his want higher to try to see farther. All of a sudden, a shadow rushed him and collided with him. He felt familiar hair brush under his chin, and moving his light, he found Hermione snuggled into his chest. He wrapped his free arm around her to pull her close.

"Harry, I'm so glad you're alright!" she exclaimed as she clung to him.

"Hermione, what happened?"

"I don't know! We came down to the feast and everything was so dark! Anyone who went in disappeared!" Hermione exclaimed, distressed.

"Are you alright? How did you escape the darkness?" Harry asked, pulling away just enough to inspect her for any wounds. and finding none upon her, feeling relief rush through him.

"I'm fine. But everyone. . .NOW!" she suddenly exclaimed, and the Great Hall was suddenly ablaze in light as all of the floating candles lit themselves, revealing the entirety of the school, including Professors Snape and Biltrop, Headmistress McGonagall, and all of the school. The one wall opposite of the giant windows had a portrait that filled the entire wall, with several floors to allow all of the people in the portraits ample space to exist.

"What. . .what is this?" Harry exclaimed, extinguishing his light as he looked around at all of the Halloween decorations, flying bats everywhere, and candies of every type, muggle and magical, filling the tables which were pushed to the side, much like how they were for the Yule Ball. There was a buffet along the wall underneath the giant portrait, and as Harry watched, the House Elves began to fill everything up. Returning the smile Professor Snape sent his way, Harry turned his attention back to his girlfriend in his arms and focused on the beaming smile she aimed at him.

"I know this isn't anything like our original plans from First Year, but, well. . ." She hesitated before reaching up and brushing aside some of his bangs, revealing the place where his scar used to be. There was only a faint white line now, unnoticeable by those who didn't know where to look. "Happy Halloween, Harry." And with a smile so large as to put the Cheshire Cat to shame, Harry replied.

"Happy Halloween."

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A/N: So, what did you all think? If you liked it, consider leaving a favorite, a follow, or even maybe even a review! :D Also, don't forget, I have a poll up on my profile. Should I do a Christmas version of this? Christmas, of course, would be much fluffier than this one :3 Let me know! :D

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeen!


	8. 12 Years Later

A/N: Hey everyone! One month later, and the epilogue is finally done. Between school and NaNoWriMo, it struggled against me, but I hope this went alright. This is the final chapter of The Day of Halloween, and I can proudly say, the first chapter of The 24 Days of Christmas, the sequel to this story, will be published tomorrow. I hope you stick with me in this next leg of our journey, and I hope you enjoy. :)

I do want to thank each and every one of you for staying with me for as long as you have. To the 42 reviews, the 73 follows, the 53 favorites, and the total 6,377 views, this story was made possible by all of you. Thank you. Simply, thank you. You are all the best.

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The Day of Halloween

Twelve Years Later:

With all the danger far behind them, Harry and Hermione married a year out of school. The Potter finances, with some hints from Sirius and Severus, were finally accessed by Harry, and it seemed that the Goblins were finally relieved that the accounts were active once more. While not as old a family as the Blacks, the Potter fortune was, through smart investments, vaster than even the Malfoy's. This allowed the newlyweds to focus on the family Harry had always wanted. That didn't mean that the studious Hermione didn't strive to make lives better. With the Potter fortune at her fingertips, Hermione started up several funds and charities to create scholarships for students who couldn't afford tuition at Hogwarts. While her own parents had been independently wealthy through their dental practice, by the end of her 6th year, they had begun to run low on funds. Harry fully supported her ideas, and even relished the fact of letting her take the limelight while he stayed home with their children. But eventually, even Hermione decided to stay home, and let their family because the anonymous benefactor. Besides the social functions required of them and Harry's seats on the Wizengamot, the couple stayed at home in order to make sure their children wanted for nothing.

Lilian Rose came first, less than a year after the wedding. With beautiful black hair and green eyes from her father, Lilian could be considered a prodigy amongst her peers, having inherited her mother's mental faculties. Aster Lane was second born, inheriting his mother's brown hair and his father's eyes love for Quidditch. His bedroom was decorated in flying snitches, quaffles and bludgers, and his favorite team at the moment is the Wales National Team (his favorite teams often changed monthly). Jasmine Grace and Adler Ren are the youngest. Twins, Jasmine is a mini clone of Hermione, something of which Harry teases her about, where Adler got a dark auburn hair color with Harry's eyes. Both Sirius and Severus commented on how much Adler looked like Lily, Harry's mother, and the parents had to agree.

So for this Halloween, while Lilian was at her first year of Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione were left home with their nine year old and the two seven year olds, the three younger children excited for trick-or-treating later that day. The family would be going to Hermione's old neighborhood during the day for trick-or-treating at their grandparents' house, and then heading over to the mixed mundane/magical neighborhood that Ginny lived in as a single mom and Quidditch star, raising her two children Rose and Hugo. Lilian had extracted a promise from her siblings to get extra candy and send it to her at Hogwarts with their next letter. However, knowing their children, nothing would be left to send their eldest sister. Harry was already planning on going through the candy stash to make sure everything was safe to consume (Aster was allergic to nuts), and weed out some of it to share with Lily.

Sirius was coming with them to muggle trick-or-treating, never giving up the chance to have fun with his godchildren. Severus, taking a sabbatical from teaching in order to update his Mastery in Potions and to travel the world collecting rare supplies and ingredients he was running low on, would be joining them for the magical trick-or-treating, having been guilted by Sirius, who claimed the Potions Master didn't spend enough time with the kids.

Neville and Parvati ended up together in the end, marrying a couple of years after Harry and Hermione did. Neville did have to duel Lord Patil, who insisted his daughters marry only those from their original home country. But Lord Longbottom proved to be valiant hero and won the hand of his princess, a tale Harry loved telling five year old Ani, three year old Baharata, and two year old Sakuntala.

Ron respectively married Lavender a few years after Neville and Parvati, having chosen to date for three years and then stay engaged for two. They only have one child at the moment, who was the same age as Jasmine and Adler. Marian Louise had the same fiery red hair as her father's side of the family, and her mother's fashion sense. And while Lavender and Parvati always managed to get together at least once a week, Hermione could only join them once a month. Despite that, the three friends were always more than welcome at each others homes, especially around the holidays.

Sirius was still unattached, despite the witches who tried to put themselves in his way. He made sure that Harry was all caught up with the other Lords-To-Be by the end of Seventh Year, so even before Harry and Hermione had married, he was prepared to be Lord Potter. Although Sirius detested politics, he played them well, and with his help, Lord Potter was reintroduced to wizarding society with no hassle.

"Daddy, let's go!" Jasmine called out, tugging on his hand, snapping him out of his reminiscence. Harry looked down to the mini clone of his wife and smile gently at her.

"We're just waiting on your mother and your brothers. Aster still hasn't decided on a costume yet," he replied with a chuckle before reaching out and messing up her hair. She shot her father a scowl before going off to find a mirror to see if she could straighten up her hair. Since she had her mother's hair, anything that could cause knots in her hair had to be banished swiftly before the problem became worse later on. Harry had the decency to look apologetic, knowing just how hard it was to tame that mane of hers.

Hermione suddenly appeared at his side, their boys bickering behind her. The two adults shared a look before sharing a kiss. Hermione now had glasses that many passed off as reading glasses, but they were enchanted to contain her Mage Sight. It had begun to irritate her about five years ago, and Harry was somewhat glad that she had the glasses. In his opinion, it made her more attractive.

"Aster, Adler, enough," Hermione's voice then cut through the air. With a grin, Harry tuned in to the conversation. "This year, Adler, you can let your brother be the ninja." With a pout, their youngest son finally relented, resigning himself to the fate of being a simple martial artist. "Now, we're already late. Where's Jasmine?" This question was turned to Harry, and he looked at her sheepishly.

"I'm here, Mum," their youngest daughter stated as she joined them in the living room. "Just had to fix my hair."

"Let's go then," Harry stated, and he took Jasmine and Adler's hands while Hermione grabbed Aster's. "Don't want to keep Grandma and Grandpa waiting now, do we?" he asked with a chuckle before Apparating with his children. When they arrived, the twins immediately let go of his hands in order to greet their grandparents. Hermione appeared a moment later with Aster, who broke away to join his siblings. After greeting Hermione's parents, Harry plopped down in the comfy armchair in the corner while his children flocked to the kitchen, a batch of freshly made pumpkin seeds waiting for their eager hands, Hermione's mom following them to make sure no one got burned from the still warm pans.  
"Now Dad, when you take them out, remember that Aster is allergic to nuts, so they shouldn't sample anything with nuts in them," Hermione lectured, earning a laugh from her father.

"Hermione, we may be retired, but your mother and I are still dentists," he reminded her gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Although with your talent, I wouldn't be surprised if you had already done some magic on their bags already that lets stuff in but doesn't let them back out, or something like that." A gleam Harry knew all too well appeared in Hermione's eye, and she merely grinned back at her father.

"Actually, thank you for the idea. Keep the kids busy for a moment," she said and she ushered her dad into the kitchen so she could do her work. Pulling out her wand, Harry watched contentedly as his wife did her magic, hearing a pop from the kitchen that Harry knew must have been Sirius arriving. A chorus of 'Grandpa Sirius!' resounded from the children, and Harry knew he was right.

"So, what are you planning on doing?" he asked, enjoying the view from where he sat.

"Just a charm to have the candy go in and get stored in a smaller bag that can only be opened by someone with a wand," she replied cheekily. "So if they put something that isn't candy in the bag, they can pull it out themselves." When Hermione passed by where he sat, Harry pulled her onto his lap, squeezing her a bit before lightly tickling her.

"You, my dear, are bloody brilliant," Harry complimented, eliciting a "Harry, language!" from her before she dissolved into giggles.

"Eww, get a room!" Aster called out as he and his siblings emerged from the kitchen, being backed up by Sirius' sniggers. With laughs of their own, Harry let Hermione up, and they both went to their children.

"Be good for Grandpa Granger and Grandpa Sirius, alright?" Hermione stated, fixing Jasmine's cowl and checking the fake vampire teeth that Grandma Granger had gotten for her.

"Don't break too many hearts," Harry then joked with a wink, earning a light pinch from his wife.

"No promises, Dad," Jasmine replied with a grin, her brothers agreeing as their mother checked them all over to make sure their costumes were good.

"Alright, now go have fun," Hermione's mother said, ushering the three children, her husband, and the wizard, who was dressed up as a shaggy werewolf, Grandpa Granger dressed as a vampire like Jasmine, out the door. "Don't spoil your dinner by eating candy!" she then called after them, her, Harry, and Hermione watching as Grandpa Granger led the three energetic children down the path to go trick or treating, Sirius bringing up the rear. The three then went back inside to create dinner for when they came back, before they had to leave for the wizarding side of trick or treating at Ginny's. Harry did manage to steal several kisses from his wife before his mother-in-law handed him a whisk and told him to man the sauces on the stovetop, Hermione sequestered on the other side of the kitchen chopping vegetables and herbs, much to Harry's disappointment. They got no help from any House Elves, for they were always given holidays off, which sometimes discouraged them, despite being invited to the family dinners they weren't allowed to help prepare.

Within the two hours the kids were dragging back their exhausted grandfathers, whose steps quickened upon smelling the roast duck Mrs. Granger and Lord and Lady Potter had prepared while he had kept the youngest faces entertained. There were many tantrums thrown when the kids realized that they couldn't go against their grandmother's words and sneak candy, but Grandpa Granger managed to convince them that the longer they threw their tantrum, the less time they had to get candy. With speed that matched many other children of the neighborhood, Jasmine, Aster, and Adler raced each other to see who could get the most candy first, often leaving the two older men at the end of driveways chitchatting with other escorts.

Dinner was consumed speedily, the kids especially hungry since they couldn't snack on their bounties before they came home, and all too soon, they had to say goodbye, Sirius temporarily activating the Granger fireplace for Floo transport. With hugs goodbye and baggies of pumpkin seeds deposited in the trick or treat bags, the family left to head to Aunt Ginny's house. Sirius was tasked with closing the floo after they left, before Apparating after them.

Rose and Hugo met the family of five at the hearth, Ginny still unpacking the candy that she would put in an enchanted bowl that would give three pieces out to each child that came up to her door and announced 'trick-or-treat'. The Potters were surprisingly early, and the kids got to play while Hermione and Ginny chatted, Harry being ready for when Sirius and Severus showed up within seconds of each other. The rest of their friends joined them shortly after, Neville and Parvati showing up first with their three children, along with Padma, her husband Abhay, and their children Dhananjay (Dhanni for short) and Devika. Ron and Lavender joined them about ten minutes later with Marian in tow. None of the adults besides Sirius and Ginny dressed up (Ginny, funnily enough, was going as a witch, wart and everything), but everyone would be going as a group. This was a mixed muggle-magical neighborhood, so her joke would be understood.

Once six o'clock rolled around, Ginny put out the enchanted bowl of candy, locked the house, and the huge group set off for the first house in the neighborhood. As all the children had free reign as the parents lagged behind, liberal use of the harness charm used by several of the mothers on the younger children, Harry enjoyed being surrounded by his friends on this night that has often caused him so much grief. Squeezing Hermione's hand, he stared up at the clear night sky, the stars twinkling above them.

"What's up, Harry?" Hermione asked, drawing his gaze to her as children milled around them as they began to move to the next house.

"Oh, just thanking my lucky stars that we became friends," he replied softly, pulling her into him so he could wrap his arm around her waist. "You've changed my life so much. I started out as a friendless freak with no family, but now? Because of you, I'm surrounded by friends, by family, and I'm loved. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"You're wrong, Harry. You gained all of this yourself, it wasn't because of me. This is all you. If people didn't like you, they wouldn't come around you. But all of this? Our family, our friends. . .it's all you," Hermione replied with a smile, leaning into his embrace. With a chuckle, Harry placed a kiss on her hair.

"Hermione, you're the best."

"I love you too, Harry."

END

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A/N: Again, I want to thank you all for supporting me throughout this story. :) I hope you enjoyed this ending, and hope to see you again for the sequel! Happy Holidays! :D


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